Northside withstands seven turnovers

FORT SMITH -- After shooting itself in the foot on offense, Fort Smith Northside relied on its defense to put away Little Rock Catholic.

The Grizzlies scored on their first two second-half possessions and the defense did not allow a first down in the final two quarters to defeat the Rockets 21-6 Friday at Mayo-Thompson Stadium.

The Rockets (2-4, 0-3 6A-Central) ran just 11 offensive plays in the second half and lost 8 yards as Northside (4-1, 1-0) dominated. The Grizzlies won despite committing seven turnovers (four fumbles, three interceptions).

"Our defense played lights out tonight. They were great tonight," Northside Coach Mike Falleur.

The Grizzlies also rushed for over 200 yards.

"We were able to run the football. That is why we won the game, along with the defense," Falleur said. "We hit some big pass plays, and we need to be better at that. When you run the football well, it opens up a lot of opportunities."

Little Rock Catholic Coach John Fogleman said the offensive struggles in the second have hampered any chance of a rally.

"I was really disappointed with our performance in the second half, but [Northside] had a lot to do with that, especially their defense," Fogleman said.

Northside led 7-6 at halftime despite committing five turnovers.

"The first half was just ... us. We had a lot of unforced mistakes," Falleur said.

The Grizzlies shook off the first-half miscues in the third quarter, taking the opening kickoff and marching 80 yards in 13 plays. The drive was capped when Dreyden Norwood hit an open Ty Massey for a 27-yard touchdown with 5:58 left in the quarter for a 14-6 lead.

After the defense forced a three-and-out, a short punt gave Northside possession at the Rockets' 48. The Grizzlies scored seven plays later on an 8-yard scoring toss from Norwood to Walker Catsavis. Slate Stanton's extra point made it 21-6 with 1:24 left in the third quarter.

The Northside defense did the rest.

Northside's lone score in the first half was a 38-yard touchdown pass from Norwood to Catsavis, capping a 94-yard, nine-play drive with 1:58 left before halftime.

Paul Owens booted field goal of 36 and 24 yards for Little Rock Catholic. The first field goal came after a short punt that gave the Rockets possession at the Northside 34, while another was the result of a muffed punt by Northside at the Grizzlies' 38.

"We had a lot of missed opportunities in the first half," Fogleman said. "We had turnovers and a short field, and we had to settle for field goals."

Norwood was 6-of-9 passing in the second half for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had three touchdown passes and three interceptions in the game. Massey rushed for 105 yards.