Photos and Video: Elkins claims opening win

NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF @NWABENGOFF Chad Graham, Elkins wide receiver, catches a pass under pressure from Christion Wise Friday, July 13, 2018, during pool round game in the Southwest Elite 7 on 7 Showcase at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium in Springdale.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF @NWABENGOFF Chad Graham, Elkins wide receiver, catches a pass under pressure from Christion Wise Friday, July 13, 2018, during pool round game in the Southwest Elite 7 on 7 Showcase at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium in Springdale.

SPRINGDALE -- Bryan Hutson had to hit the ground running when he accepted the head football coaching position at Elkins late this spring, and he hasn't slowed down much since.

The former Paris coach replaced Chad Harbison, who moved up the road to be an assistant coach at Fayetteville. While Harbison cleaned out his office for the new coach, he left plenty of pieces in the locker room, mainly a number of returning elite-level skill position players.

Southwest Elite 7on7 Showcase

At Springdale High

Morning Session

7Brew Field

Derby 12, Springdale 12

Little Rock Christian 29, Rejoice Christian 10

Fort Smith Northside 35, Rejoice Christian 0

Little Rock Christian 14, Stillwater 13

Bixby, Okla. 33, Har-Ber soph. 3

Springdale 29, Little Rock Christian 11

McAlister’s Field

Fort Smith Northside 23, Har-Ber soph. 13

Bixby 28, Stillwater 2

Elkins 20, Springdale 18

Derby 29, Har-Ber soph. 2

Fort Smith Northside 21, Elkins 8

Stillwater 33, Rejoice Christian 12

Afternoon Session

7Brew Field

Bixby 24, Rejoice Christian 4

Springdale 23, Fort Smith Northside 17

Derby 21, Little Rock Christian 18

Stillwater 26, Springdale 7

Derby 26, Fort Smith Northside 18

Bixby 22, Springdale 2

Stillwater 21, Derby 19

Bixby 27, Fort Smith Northside 14

Springdale 22, Rejoice Christian 21

Stillwater 26, Elkins 6

McAlister’s Field

Derby 32, Elkins 15

Little Rock Christian 34, Har-Ber soph. 5

Rejoice Christian 31, Har-Ber soph. 4

Bixby 25, Elkins 16

Stillwater 20, Har-Ber soph. 11

Elkins 25, Rejoice Christian 8

Little Rock Christian 20, Elkins 8

Springdale 18, Har-Ber soph. 2

Derby 19, Bixby 16

Fort Smith Northside 26, Little Rock Christian 14

Today’s Games

Walmart Field

Ozark vs. LR Christian, 9 a.m.

Mill Valley vs. Glendale JV, 9:30 a.m.

Chick-Fil- Field

Stillwater vs. Highland, 9 a.m.

Igloo Field

Russellville vs. Conway Christian, 9:30 a.m.

Skycoach Field

Gibson vs. Elkins, 9:30 a.m.

7Brew Field

FS Northside vs. Shiloh Christian, 9 a.m.

Har-Ber JV vs. Bentonville, 9:30 a.m.

McAlister’s Field

Springdale vs. Tuttle, 9:30 a.m.

BAI Field

Glendale vs. Oologah, 9 a.m.

Fast Lane Field

Aurora Christian vs. Rejoice Christian, 9:30 a.m.

BYES: Midwest City, Derby, Fayetteville, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Owasso

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: 4:40 p.m. on Walmart Field

They were all on display Friday in the Southwest Elite 7on7 tournament as Elkins took on Springdale High early in the day at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium. The Elks got a big break at the end of the game on a tipped third-down pass in a 20-18 win.

"It was a little late in the year when I got here, but Coach Harbison has done a great job with these kids," Hutson said. "This was a really, really easy transition."

Hutson walked into a program on the rise with an elite quarterback in Quinn McClain, who passed for 2,799 yards and 33 touchdowns as a sophomore last season. Chad Graham is back after a stellar 2017 season with 48 catches for 853 yards 16 touchdowns, and running back Chance Jones also returns after rushing for more than 1,200 yards and 21 touchdowns as the Elks move up to the 4A-4 Conference and into a new home stadium.

All three had a big impact on Friday's win as McClain was 12-of-15 and threw scoring passes to Graham and Jones. Jones also had an interception and a big catch in the closing seconds on a ball tipped by Springdale's Chops Sanders on third down that helped the Elks run out the clock. Had the ball not been caught, the score would have been tied at 20-20 on the defensive stop.

"It's a funny game sometimes," Springdale coach Zak Clark said of the tipped pass. "You want to win them all, but we didn't play real well. Right now I'm more concerned with missed assignments, blown coverages and missed routes way more than wins and losses."

Hutson said a win over a Class 7A school was nice but tempered the result as it came in a 7-on-7 passing-only game and not a Friday night regular season contest.

"When you compete, you want to win no matter what you do," Hutson said. "Teams do things differently in 7-on-7 that you won't see on Friday nights, but the main thing I told the kids is that I wanted them to compete."

Springdale fell behind 12-0 but rallied to pull within 14-11 as Grant Allen, a transfer from Springdale Har-Ber, hit Jaden Cornelius on a touchdown pass.

This was Allen's first chance to throw to moving targets since his shoulder surgery earlier this year, Clark said. Allen and incumbent Will Mueller alternated at quarterback Friday and will continue to compete for the starting job, Clark said.

"He's on a pitch count since this is the first week he's been able to really throw," Clark said. "We have a quarterback competition, and they both know that. We'll end up playing the best guy."

The tournament continues today with all games at Shiloh Christian and Southwest Junior High. The championship game is scheduled for 5 p.m. today at Champions Stadium.

EXTRA POINTS: Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy has become a fixture at this tournament the past several years as his son, Gunnar Gundy, is a junior quarterback for Stillwater, Okla. ... Springdale Har-Ber did not bring in its varsity team for the tournament, instead bringing a junior varsity and sophomore squad. ... Fort Smith Northside rising senior quarterback Derrick Wise looked sharp in leading his team Friday. ... Springdale rebounded from the loss to Elkins to knock off Northside 23-17 as Mueller hit Cornelius three times on the final drive including a short touchdown pass with just seconds left for the win. ... Springdale rising senior Brock Pounders, another transfer from Har-Ber, was injured in the win over Northside after almost making a sensational catch over the middle. He did not return to the game.

Sports on 07/14/2018

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