Still defensive, still unbeaten.
North Little Rock's dominance over Little Rock Central continued Friday night as the Charging Wildcats rolled to a 35-6 victory in the 7A-Central opener at Quigley Stadium.
North Little Rock (4-0, 1-0) recorded 9 sacks for 76 yards in losses, recovered 3 fumbles and intercepted 2 passes in beating Central (0-4, 0-1) for the 14th consecutive season. The Charging Wildcats scored touchdowns on two of the turnovers, the last triggering the Arkansas Activities Association's sportsman rule -- a running clock with a score differential of 35 points in the second half -- midway through the third quarter.
North Little Rock, which led 28-0 at halftime, limited Central to 9 total yards on 36 plays. The Charging Wildcats have allowed just 13 points in their last three games.
"I thought we came out and played really, really hard on both sides of the ball," first-year North Little Rock Coach Randy Sandefur said. "Our defense continues to play hard and it's just not one person. It's 11 of them. They bought into what we're all about. They come to work every day with the hard hats on and go to work."
North Little Rock flexed its defensive muscle early, sacking junior quarterback Nassir Donohoo on Central's first play from scrimmage. The tackle resulted in a fumble, which senior safety Davian Vayson returned 4 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 7:03 remaining in the first quarter.
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The Charging Wildcats led 28-0 at halftime on sophomore tailback Javonte Harris' 4-yard touchdown run with 1:37 remaining in the second quarter. They invoked the sportsmanship rule after sophomore outside linebacker Omar Anderson returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown with 6:02 remaining in the third quarter. Junior place-kicker Devin Jackson added his fifth extra point for a 35-0 lead.
North Little Rock junior quarterback Malachi Gober completed 14 of 25 passes for 193 yards and an 18-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Johnny Lewis to open the game. The Charging Wildcats took a 21-0 lead when Harris swept left end and pitched to junior wide receiver Corey Henderson, who threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jiquori Stewart with 7:06 remaining in the first half. The touchdown came one play after Stewart's 33-yard punt return.
The Charging Wildcats finished with 269 total yards on 48 plays. The Tigers – on their final offensive play – averted the shutout and finishing with negative total yardage when sophomore halfback Westley Johnson ran 35 yards for a touchdown on fourth down with 3:34 remaining in the game.
