Senior quarterback Landon Rogers scored on four short touchdown runs as unbeaten Little Rock Parkview defeated Pine Bluff 28-6 on Friday night at War Memorial Stadium.
Rogers ran for touchdowns of 1, 4, 4 and 6 yards and completed 11 of 18 passes for 147 yards. Parkview (3-0) collected four turnovers, blocked a punt and used a third-quarter defensive stop to regain control of the Class 6A nonconference game after leading 21-6 at halftime.
Pine Bluff's only score came on a 40-yard touchdown pass from sophomore backup quarterback William Howell to senior wide receiver Treyvon Woodard with 35 seconds remaining in the first half.
"I didn't think we took advantage of the turnovers like we should," Parkview Coach Brad Bolding said. "We just never did get it really rolling. Pine Bluff, that sophomore quarterback, is impressive throwing the ball around. They're big on the offensive and defensive lines. We were sloppy."
Parkview had two first downs negated by penalties to open the second half. The Zebras (1-1) moved to the Patriots' 25 on their opening second-half possession before sophomore utility back X'Zaevion Barnett was stopped for no gain on a fourth-down run with 7:02 remaining in the third quarter.
Rogers, who has orally committed to Arkansas, then directed an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Rogers had completions of 12, 11 and 28 yards before running 6 yards for a touchdown, and a 28-6 lead, with 3:41 remaining in the third quarter.
Rogers' earlier touchdown runs covered 1 yard with 1:19 remaining in the first quarter, 4 yards with 8:41 remaining in the second quarter and 4 yards with 2:19 remaining in the first half.
The Patriots only had to cover 7 yards for their first touchdown after recovering a high Shotgun snap. Rogers' touchdown late in the first half, which pushed the advantage to 21-0, came one play after another high Pine Bluff snap, this one while in punt formation.
Howell, who completed 13 of 22 passes for 145 yards, was intercepted twice in the second half, the first in the end zone by junior safety Trent Bennett on the final play of the third quarter.
Parkview opens 6A-West play next week at powerhouse Greenwood, which is seeking its ninth state championship since 2005. Parkview, conversely, hasn't won a conference title since 1984.
"We've got to clean things up," said Bolding, a former Greenwood assistant. "We can't do any of that stuff against Greenwood. Our players know how big the game is next week. Huge game. It will be an environment that will be awesome for our kids to play in."
Parkview is without standout senior tight end Erin Outley, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury, Bolding said.