SPRINGDALE -- Jamarcus Alvis has quietly emerged as a major weapon for Springdale Har-Ber over the past five weeks.
Well, he wasn't all that quiet on Friday. His play spoke loudly in the Wildcats' 49-28 win against Fort Smith Northside in a Class 7A first-round playoff game at Wildcat Stadium.
Alvis caught 5 passes for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak to keep their season alive.
"Jamarcus, we moved him mid-year over to receiver to give some more explosive plays and complement the other guys," Har-Ber Coach Chris Wood said. "He made some plays tonight and really set the tempo. He's getting better at catching the ball and doing the little things right."
Har-Ber had lost back-to-back close games to Rogers and Fayetteville to end the regular season, but the Wildcats rebounded against a Northside team that had lost three in a row before shutting out winless Little Rock Southwest last week.
The Wildcats' win was all the more impressive considering starting quarterback Drue McClendon did not suit up Friday night because of concussion protocol. Senior Noah Livingston was ready to step up, and the 6-4 backup did it in a big way. Livingston fired five touchdown passes and did not turn the ball over.
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"Noah is a pocket guy," said Wood. "So like the Fayetteville game last week, everybody has been stacking the box to stop our run game. We have to be able to make those throws down the field, take those one-on-one beaters. Northside did the same thing, so it was right in Noah's wheelhouse as a pocket guy. "
Wood said it was important for the Wildcats to get off to a fast start, and they did just that, jumping out to a 21-0 lead as Livingston found Alvis on all three scoring strikes. On Har-Ber's second possession, Alvis caught a short pass in the right flat and juked a defender to break free for a 25-yard score with 5:45 left in the first quarter.
After Efrin Chavez intercepted a Northside pass, the Wildcats struck again with Alvis making a tough catch with a Grizzlies' defender in his face for 52 yards and a 14-0 lead to start the second quarter. Later in the quarter Alvis took a short toss from Livingston and found a gaping hole down the right sideline for 43 yards to extend Har-Ber's lead to 21-0.
"I knew I was going to be targeted a lot," said Alvis. "We worked on this all week in practice. My boys turned me up. It was just a good game. This was what we needed."
Northside found a little spark after Alvis' third score, as Avonte Tucker returned a kickoff 55 yards to the Har-Ber 45, and the Grizzlies marched in for a score as Walker Catsavis hit Joseph Maffei on a 26-yard scoring strike on fourth down, cutting Har-Ber's lead to 21-7.
The momentum did not last long. On the ensuing kickoff, Har-Ber's Lane Reiter picked up a low Northside kick and returned it 91 yards for a touchdown as Har-Ber rolled into halftime with a 28-7 lead.
Hudson Brewer capped Har-Ber's first drive of the second half with a 4-yard touchdown run and Livingston fired two second half scoring passes to Peyton McKee for 33 and 16 yards.
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FS Northside^0^7^14^7^—^28
Har-Ber^7^21^14^7^—^49
First Quarter
Harb — Alvis 25 pass from Livingston (Ramirez kick), 5:45.
Second Quarter
Harb — Alvis 52 pass from Livingston (Ramiez kick), 11:52.
Harb — Alvis 43 pass from Livington (Ramirez kick), 2:19.
North — Maffei 23 pass from Catsavis (Stanton kick), :56.
Harb — Reiter 91 kickoff return (Ramirez kick), :42.
Third Quarter
Harb — Brewer 4 run (Ramirez kick), 9:13.
North — Maffei 43 pass from Catsavis (Pass failed), 6:15.
Harb — McKee 33 pass from Livingston (Ramirez kick), 5:32.
North — Fields 6 run (Catsavis pass from Tucker), 2:42.
Fourth Quarter
Harb — McKee 16 pass from Livingston (Ramirez kick), 11:55.
North — Sundquist 5 run (Stanton kick), 3:37.
Chip Souza can be reached at csouza@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWAChip.