CHARLESTON -- Tuesday night's season opener for Charleston was not pretty, but it was good enough.
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Jackson Rowland threw for 376 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Class 3A Tigers to a 36-23 win over Class 4A Dardanelle in nonconference game at Alumni Field.
CHARLESTON 36, DARDANELLE 23
Dardanelle ^7 ^7 ^3 ^6^—^23
Charleston 14 14 ^0 ^8^—^36
First Quarter
Charl – Ketter 10 pass from Rowland (kick failed), 8:29.
Charl – Flanagan 70 run (Rowland run), 5:06.
Dard – Rowland 1 run (Martinez kick), 1:52.
Second Quarter
Charl – Wisdom 9 pass from Rowland (Taggert kick), 11:04.
Dard – Carter 1 run (Martinez kick), 8:21.
Charl – Wisdom 13 pass from Rowland (Taggert kick), :30.
Third Quarter
Dard – FG Martinez 33, 2:28.
Fourth Quarter
Dard – Rowland 14 pass from Carter (pass failed), 7:00.
Charl – Flanagan 54 pass from Rowland (Rowland pass to Hampton), 4:22.
Being the first game of the season meant a lot of mistakes as Charleston committed four turnovers (including three in the red zone) and had 10 penalties for 96 yards. Those two areas alone gives Tiger coach Greg Kendrick some areas to for his team to improve upon.
"We did a lot of things tonight that is uncharacteristic of our team," Kendrick said. "Give Dardanelle credit because they forced some of those mistakes. We have a lot of things to work on."
The turnovers, though, did keep Sand Lizards in the game, as they crept to within 28-23 with 7 minutes to play on a 14-yard pass from Elyas Carter to Dakota Rowland. Rowland also rushed for 129 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown.
But the Tigers, which had been scoreless the entire second half, got a big play from receiver Sean Michael Flanagan to put the game away. Flanagan took a short pass from Rowland and went down the sideline for a 54-yard touchdown with 4:22 left to clinch the win.
Flanagan finished with 136 yards receiving and also added a 70-yard touchdown run for in the first quarter. Mason Wisdom also had 91 receiving yards and a pair of scores for the Tigers.
"I thought we were the better conditioned team tonight, but (Charleston) was the more experienced team," said first-year Sand Lizard coach Phil Vega. "The more experienced team found a way to win the game. They made several big plays when they needed them."
The Tigers, who have won five state titles in the last 11 seasons, built a 28-14 lead thanks Flanagan's run and Rowland, who was 19-of-27 for 214 yards and 3 touchdowns.
While Dardanelle, which has won 24 games and made deep playoff runs the last two seasons, missed three field goals in the first half, Charleston hit some big plays and got the ball into the end zone to take control of the game.
"Third downs killed us in the first half defensively," Vega said. "We could not get off the field. In the second half, we got some turnovers that kept us in the game."
Big plays also played a role. With the Tigers leading 6-0, Flanagan took a direct snap went around left end and raced untouched until he crossed the goal line on his 70-yard touchdown run midway in the first quarter.
"Our defense bent but did not break in the first half," Kendrick said. "(Dardanelle) had some opportunities they did not cash in on because of our defense. They had a gutty performance against a good Dardanelle team."
Sports on 08/31/2016