Turnover-prone Har-Ber thwarts Central late

Springdale Har-Ber’s Ty Copher (bottom) gets a key stop on Little Rock Central running back Sam
Franklin during a Class 7A playoff game Friday in Springdale. Har-Ber won 16-10. More photos are available at arkansasonline.com/1116harber/
Springdale Har-Ber’s Ty Copher (bottom) gets a key stop on Little Rock Central running back Sam Franklin during a Class 7A playoff game Friday in Springdale. Har-Ber won 16-10. More photos are available at arkansasonline.com/1116harber/

SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber’s defense turned away a potential Little Rock Central touchdown late in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats hung on for a 16-10 victory in a Class 7A first-round playoff game at Wildcat Stadium on Friday.

Har-Ber (8-3) suffered its third turnover of the game when quarterback Blaise Wittschen was stripped of the ball near midfield with 7:30 left in the game.

Central (6-5), drove to the Har-Ber 18 on a 17-yard run from Sam Franklin, but the Wildcat defense came through to help Har-Ber win its first playoff game since 2016.

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“Any time at this point of the year that you can get a win and move to the quarterfinals and get to the next game it’s a pretty special deal,” Har-Ber Coach Chris Wood said. “I’m excited for our kids, and I’m glad we went out this way on our home field. We struggled the last couple of years in our first-round matchup, but we found a way.”

Survive and advance is the playoff mantra for all teams, and that’s exactly what Har-Ber did against Central.

The Wildcats lost three fumbles and struggled on offense to muster much against the Tigers. But it didn’t start out that way.

Har-Ber went 95 yards in three plays on its opening possession to grab a 7-0 lead, but the Wildcats did not do much after that offensively.

Har-Ber’s next possession started at its 5. Senior running back Jay Burns ran 85 yards on the first play, then scored two plays later on an 8-yard run with 3:51 left in the first quarter.

Har-Ber kicker Jesus Barroso kicked a 33-yard field in the second quarter.

Central’s Keeling Baker kicked a 43-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to pull the Tigers within 13-10 at halftime.

Har-Ber’s Griffin Clampit tackled Baker for a 12-yard loss on a punt in the third quarter, setting up a touchdown pass from Wittschen to Hunter Wood with 1:57 remaining in the third quarter.

Har-Ber twice turned the ball over in the final 11 minutes of the game. On the first, Wittschen and Torrance Farmer misconnected on a handoff and Central’s Caleb Morton recovered at the Har-Ber 9. Farmer helped the Tigers capitalize by scoring from the 1 on fourth down as the Tigers pulled within 16-10.

Central’s Christian Jordan recovered a Har-Ber fumble, but the Tigers were unable to capitalize.

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“Our defense really bailed us out in the second half,” Wood said. “On offense we just kind of sputtered and did just enough. We just weren’t very clean.”

Central Coach Kent Laster consoled his players one-by-one after the game.

“I thought we played hard,” Laster said. “I’m proud of how our kids fought back. We just have to keep building our program and continue to take it to the next level.”

Burns paced Har-Ber’s offense with 161 yards rushing on 16 carries.

Farmer rushed 26 times for 121 yards for Central.

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 16, LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL 10

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