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Har-Ber Headed To The Rock
Wildcats Blast Russellville 47-23
Last updated Friday, November 16, 2007 11:53 PM CST in Prep Sports
By Brandon Harris
Special To The Morning News
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SPRINGDALE -- How's that for a tradition builder?
When fielding questions about the difficulty of succeeding with a team in its infant years of varsity football, Springdale Har-Ber coach Chris Wood often points to the absence of tradition.
There isn't much to the two-year history of Wildcat football. There's no history of deep playoff runs. There's no long list of epic games easily remembered years down the line. There are no state championships.
But after Friday night, when No. 1 seed Har-Ber picked apart No. 2 seed Russellville 47-23, that could change.
In seven days, the Wildcats play Fayetteville for the Class 7A state championship.
"This is an excellent start to that tradition," Wood said. "Not many people thought a second-year program can get to Little Rock in the state's largest classification, but we're doing it."
And doing it in convincing fashion.
After Russellville's Derek Owens returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a score and an early 7-0 lead, Har-Ber responded by scoring 34 unanswered points, including 27 in the first half on its way to the win.
The Wildcats scored quickly, they scored on sustained drives, they recovered an onside kick and they even scored on defense. Russellville, meanwhile, never got its offense moving.
"(Owens' touchdown) was about the only thing that went right for us tonight," Russellville coach Jeff Holt said. "We just didn't have a good night at all. We didn't play good football."
Defensively, the Wildcats were rock-solid. Russellville didn't score its first offensive touchdown until Kyler Lee's 3-yard touchdown run at the 7 minute, 49 second mark in the third quarter.
"The defense doesn't get a lot of credit, and really, the team hasn't got a lot of credit all year," Wood said. "Every time we win a game, everyone wants to make a fluke out of it. We just want to keep proving people wrong."
After running back Derek Brinker scored from a yard out to tie the game 7-7, the points quickly poured in. Quarterback Zach Faust engineered quick two scoring drives -- one that took just one play and another that took just three -- with a pair of touchdown passes to Josh Fohner.
Har-Ber led 20-7 with 3:47 left in the second quarter and went on the offensive again when Kenneth Baxter recovered an onside kick at the Russellville 44. The recovery set up a six-play Wildcat scoring drive capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Calcagni to Derrick Sanders.
The final unanswered touchdown came on the first drive of the third quarter when Calcagni scored on an 18-yard keeper to give Har-Ber a 34-7 lead. Lee responded with his touchdown run, but Har-Ber got another score on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Calcagni to Ethan Morris for a 41-14 advantage.
The Cyclones drove to their own 44 on the next possession, but linebacker Kevin Sbanotto picked off Blake Humphrey's pass and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown.
"We're going to the state championship game in our second year," Sbanotto. "That's tradition for you."
GAME BREAKER
Springdale Har-Ber 47, Russellville 23
Why The Wildcats Won
Har-Ber's defense held strong despite giving Russellville excellent starting field position for much of the first half. On average, the Cyclones started each drive from their own 40, but the Wildcat defense got big sacks and defensive stops and forced Russellville to go for two field goals, both of which were missed.
Why The Cyclones Lost
Har-Ber's offense was as dynamic as ever, and Russellville couldn't stop both the run and the pass. When the Cyclones tried to stop running back Derek Brinker, it left the secondary wide open and opened the door for big touchdown passes from Zach Faust that helped Har-Ber build a commanding 27-7 halftime lead.
That Figures
21 First-half points scored by Har-Ber after missed opportunities by Russellville, coming twice after missed field goals and once after an onside kick recovery.
40 Average starting field position for Russellville in the first half.
2 Missed field goals by Russellville's Josh Crane in the first half.
59 Yardage of Kevin Sbanotto's interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
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