Springdale Coach Zak Clark wanted his players to enjoy their first victory in almost two seasons last Friday night against Rogers.
Clark, who is in his first season at the 7A-West Conference school after serving as an offensive coordinator at Fayetteville, guided the Bulldogs to a 29-26 victory at Rogers Heritage that ended the Bulldogs' 16-game losing streak that dated to 2013.
"It was really rewarding," Clark said. "The kids, obviously, are really excited. I kind of stepped back. It's been two years since a lot of them have won a game. I wanted to try to let them enjoy the moment."
Springdale (1-3, 1-0 7A-West) lost 17-7 at Alma on Sept. 11 and lost 57-38 to Bixby, Okla., on Sept. 18 to fall to 0-3, but Clark was encouraged enough by his team's play in nonconference that he was confident the Bulldogs could end their skid against Rogers.
"I knew if we played well, we'd have a chance to win it," said Clark, whose team trailed Heritage 20-8 in the second quarter. "We didn't play great and had to come back and win it in the fourth quarter. That was impressive."
Clark said Springdale had to get back to work immediately to prepare for today's game at Springdale Har-Ber, which is led by former Springdale quarterback Fuller Chandler. Chandler transferred to Har-Ber in the offseason and has passed for 937 yards and 14 touchdowns.
"It's the best Har-Ber team I've seen, and they've had some good ones," Clark said. "They complement each other so well. They're really explosive."
Springdale senior quarterback Jack Lindsey, who transferred from Fayetteville in the offseason, has been solid with eight touchdown passes.
"Jack's been outstanding," Clark said. "You don't really appreciate his toughness until you watch him throwing strikes and getting hit. He keeps bouncing back."
LR CENTRAL
Running Tigers
Little Rock Central relied on the running game in its first victory of the season last Friday.
Seniors Richard Hayes and Caleb Polite combined for 310 yards on the ground to lift Central in a 24-16 victory over previously undefeated Searcy.
Central (1-3, 1-0 7A/6A-East) completed one pass for minus-1 yard but controlled the game on the ground, Coach Ellis "Scooter" Register said.
"We felt like we could get both of our backs going," Register said. "We felt like we could move the ball against Searcy. It gave us a little more confidence."
Hayes rushed for 170 yards and 3 touchdowns on 28 carries and Polite finished with 140 yards on 22 carries.
It was a welcome sight for Register, who saw Hayes rush for 176 yards and two touchdowns in the Tigers' season opener against Hot Springs Lakeside. Hayes has been hampered by an ankle injury he sustained at Fort Smith Northside on Sept. 10 but has returned to the Tigers' lineup.
"It's important to have him healthy," Register said. "He's our leader on offense. If he's going well and Polite's going well, then we have a couple of guys they'll have to try to defend."
JONESBORO
East slugfest
Jonesboro Coach Randy Coleman said the second quarter of Friday's game against Mountain Home was as wild as he has seen in his career.
Jonesboro led 7-0 entering the second quarter but scored 41 points in the quarter to take a 48-34 lead going into halftime. The Hurricane went on to win 83-41, piling up 778 yards of offense.
Coleman said his offense was stagnant in the first quarter but things got crazy from there.
Jonesboro (3-1, 1-0 7A/6A-East) allowed 519 yards but outlasted Mountain Home (1-3, 0-1) for its eighth consecutive victory over the Bombers.
"Both offenses were playing really well," Coleman said. "Luckily, we kept scoring."
Junior wide receiver Jonathan Adams caught 11 passes for 258 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead Jonesboro. Adams, the son of former Osceola and Arkansas State standout Jonathan Adams, has caught 26 passes for 585 yards and 7 touchdowns this season.
"He's matured, both as a young man and as an athlete," Coleman said. "The sky's the limit. He's really starting to figure out how special he can be."
Sports on 10/02/2015