Charging Wildcats dominate Grizzlies

FORT SMITH — Now, talk can begin about arguably the two best teams in Arkansas facing off next week.

North Little Rock took advantage of six Northside turnovers to remain unbeaten with a 45-7 7A-Central victory over Fort Smith Northside on Friday at Mayo-Thompson Stadium.

With the win, North Little Rock (7-0, 4-0) now can set its sights on facing No. 1 Bryant, the two-time defending 7A champion, which defeated Cabot 42-14. The Hornets have won the last three meetings, including wins in the 2018 and 2019 7A championship game.

The game will be in North Little Rock.

“We’ve talked to our team all the time that the next game is the biggest game,” first-year Wildcat coach J.R. Eldridge said. “The opponent in front of us is who we concentrate on. This week it will be Bryant. We are going to have to do a great job in practice because that is where football games are won.”

The Charging Wildcats converted six turnovers into 35 points to blow open the game and dominate the Grizzlies, who have now lost eight straight to North Little Rock.

“It doesn’t matter who you are playing when you turn it over that many times,” Northside coach Mike Falleur said. “They are a good football team. We know you have to play really well to beat them.”

Eldridge said the defense was key.

“Our defensive team played hard and fast out there tonight. They did an excellent job,” Eldridge said. “You don’t get turnovers without a bunch of guys running to the football. We ask three things from our players — energy, effort and focus. I thought they brought the energy tonight, they gave the effort and they were focused on their job.”

In the first half, North Little Rock built a 20-0 lead thanks in part to converting three Northside fumbles into 13 points.

After Kareame Cotton scored on a 4-yard keeper for a 7-0 North Little Rock lead midway through the first quarter, the defense began to create turnovers.

Two plays after the touchdown, Davian Vayson stripped the ball from Northside receiver Tyheen Prosise and went 45 yards for the touchdown and a 14-0 Charging Wildcat lead with 5:31 left in the opening quarter.

On the Grizzlies’ next play from scrimmage, a bad snap led to a mishandled exchange recovered by North Little Rock’s Tavion Akins at the Northside 36. Liam Selhorst booted the first of three field goals with a 33-yard kick for a 17-0 lead with 3:30 left in the first quarter.

Northside (4-3, 1-3) did get on the board with six seconds left in the first half on Dreyden Nor-wood’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Walker Catsavis.

NORTH LITTLE ROCK 45, FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 7

The Grizzlies turnovers, though, were just too much to overcome.

“I thought we played good at times on defense, but we put them in tough situations after those turnovers and we didn’t have a chance,” Falleur said.

Three turnovers in the second half led to three Charging Wildcat touchdowns to blow the game open. The last touchdown was a 46-yard bomb from Cotton to Jiquori Stewart with 11:42 to play. Cotton then hit Felix Wade for the two-point conversion as North Little Rock invoked the sportsmanship rule with a 42-7 advantage with 11:42 left.

FOUR DOWNS

• North Little Rock has won eight straight against the Grizzlies over the last seven years. Northside leads the all-time series 32-26-4, but the Grizzlies last win was in 2005.

• The Charging Wildcats converted six Grizzly turnovers into 35 points.

• North Little Rock has a chance to make its fifth straight state finals appearance this year. That has happened twice in the largest school division — Northside (1985-89) and Bentonville (2010-14).

• Next week: North Little Rock hosts Bryant in a 7A-Central showdown of the top two teams in Arkansas. Northside travels to Cabot.