It's not often a quarterback leads the league in rushing, but Harper Faulkenberry is no ordinary quarterback.
Faulkenberry displayed his running ability on Friday when he rushed for 211 yards and scored three touchdowns in Ozark's 41-13 win at Dardanelle, a win that gives the Hillbillies the inside track to the conference title.
TOP PERFORMERS WEEK 6
KEYSTAN DURNING Ozark had 20 tackles in the Hillbillies’ 41-13 victory at Dardanelle
TY WILLIAMS Ozark blocked a FG attempt, caught a 52-yard touchdown pass, and intercepted a pass in Ozark’s win at Dardanelle.
BLAISE WITTSCHEN Springdale Har-Ber passed for 5 touchdowns and ran for another in the Wildcats’ 49-10 win against Springdale High.
OLAF OLSSON Alma kicker drilled a 38-yard field goal with 18 seconds left to clinch a 29-28 win against Morrilton.
NICHOLAS BUCKNER Clarksville accounted for 5 touchdowns in the Panthers’ 62-13 win against Huntsville. Buckner ran for 3 touchdowns, caught a touchdown pass and threw a touchdown pass in the win.
KAIN JOHNSON Elkins quarterback had a hand in 5 touchdowns in the Elks’ 43-7 win against Subiaco Academy. Johnson passed for 3 scores and ran for 2 more.
RANDON RAY Booneville rushed for 120 yards and scored a touchdown in the Bearcats’ 41-6 win against Greenland.
KELIN MITCHELL Cedarville rushed for 268 yards and scored 2 touchdowns in the Pirates’ 55-27 win against Paris.
DARRYL KATTICH Cedarville rushed for 213 yards and scored 3 touchdowns against Paris.
GARRETT WADDILL Clarksville returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Huntsville. Waddill also had a third interception in the win.
DYLAN COUGHRAN Mountainburg rushed for 90 yards and scored 3 touchdowns in the Dragons’ 46-22 win against Johnson County Westside.
TRUITT TOLLETT Shiloh Christian accounted for three touchdowns — one rushing, one receiving, one on a punt return — in the Saints’ 56-7 win against Prairie Grove.
NICK WHITLATCH Bentonville West scored 3 touchdowns and rushed for 120 yards in the Wolverines’ 35-21 win against Rogers High.
SAMUEL BEARD Pea Ridge scored 3 touchdowns and piled up 120 yards rushing in the Blackhawks’ 42-0 win against Gravette.
HANK GIBBS Fayetteville quarterback was 13 of 15 passing for 301 yards and 6 touchdowns in the Purple’Dogs’ 46-6 win against Van Buren.
GABE HUSKEY Harrison rushed for 181 yards and scored a touchdown in the Goblins’ 17-15 win at Vilonia.
HUNTER WILKINSON Greenwood rushed for 105 yards in the Bulldogs’ 43-13 win against Greenwood.
Ozark dominated most of the game, fueled by Faulkenberry's 72-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter.
The Hillbillies' junior quarterback added a 52-yard touchdown pass to Ty Williams when he threw only five times and completed two. For his effort, Faulkenberry is the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Player of the Week.
"Harper is starting to settle in at quarterback and he had a heck of a game Friday night," Ozark coach Jeremie Burns said. "We took a 13-6 lead at halftime then he broke into the clear and scored on a 72-yard run. That provided a lot of momentum and gave us a two-touchdown lead."
Ozark (5-1, 3-0) has won four consecutive since a 15-12 loss at Clarksville in Sept. 13. The win over previously-unbeaten Dardanelle leaves the Hillbillies tied for first place in the 4A-4 Conference with Elkins (5-1, 3-0) and dropped the Sand Lizards (5-1, 2-1) into second place with Pottsville (3-3, 2-1). Ozark hosts Pottsville on Friday while Elkins returns home to face Mena.
"Dardanelle is steep competition and a big rivalry game for us," Faulkenberry said. "It really boosts our morale to come away with the win, but we have to move on against Pottsville this week."
Faulkenberry saw some playing time as a sophomore when he rushed for 225 yards and scored three touchdowns. He's already rushed for 711 yards in six games this season to lead the 4A-4 Conference and he's fumbled only once in 115 carries.
That's the kind of ball protection that pleases football coaches at all levels.
"The goal is perfection every week," said Faulkenberry, who has also thrown for 500 yards. "We do a lot of ball-security drills. So, it's something you're prepared for."
Preps Sports on 10/15/2019