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Central Rebounds with Comeback Win
Last updated Thursday, October 23, 2008 11:13 PM CDT in Prep Sports
By Josh Souza
SPECIAL TO THE MORNING NEWS
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SPRINGDALE -- Jon Vaughn shook off two first-half interceptions, using his legs to spark Springdale Central's 21-14 come-from-behind win over Fayetteville Woodland.
The Warriors kept their Northwest Arkansas Conference title hopes alive after coming out on top a battle between one-loss teams Thursday in Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium.
The Warriors struggled to move the ball in the first half, but a second-half adjustment allowed the freshman signal-caller to display a part of his game that wasn't in the Cowboys scouting report.
"They just weren't respecting (Vaughn's) ability to run the ball early on, so we decided to test them in the second half," said Central coach Fred Hartsfield. "We hadn't called a lot of runs for our quarterback this season, but when it was there we went right at them, and thankfully it paid off with some big runs."
Vaughn's 17-yard touchdown run tied the game at 14. He later picked up 77 yards of offense on the game-winning drive midway through the fourth quarter. Preston Pinalto capped the drive on a 1-yard run.
Woodland (6-2, 4-2) got off to a strong start, capitalizing on Vaughn's second interception of the half as Austin Allen scored from 5 yards out. Central (7-1, 5-1) answered quickly, engineering a 55-yard drive to tie the score 7-7 just before the half, with Vaughn capping the mach with a 1-yard keeper.
"I take full responsibility for us losing this game," said Woodland Coach Bobby Crockett. "The kids weren't ready to play, and that is my fault. It's never fun to lose, and when your only losses are just by a couple of scores that doesn't make it any easier."
The Cowboys took a 14-7 lead on their first possession of the second half, with Allen connecting on a 21-yard strike to Reid Holmes. The score was set up by a 27-yard hook-and-lateral by Farico Baymon.
Central will look to grab a share of the conference lead next week when they take on undefeated Bentonville Gold, while Woodland plays Bentonville Black.
Springdale Southwest 48, Harrison 8
SPRINGDALE -- Tony Dennis accounted for four Southwest touchdowns to lead the Cougars over Harrison 48-8 Thursday in a nonconference game. Dennis scored three times in first quarter.
Dennis scored on an 80-yard kickoff return, a 50-yard reception and a 17-yard run for Southwest (6-2).
The Cougars will host Rogers High at 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Fayetteville Ramay 13, Bentonville Black 7
FAYETTEVILLE -- Brice Gahagans' 3-yard touchdown run lifted Ramay a 13-7 overtime victory over Bentonville Black. Black (4-4, 3-3 NWA Conference) got scored in the first quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run by Alberto Hernandez. Jack O'Conner added the PAT to give Black a 7-0 lead.
Ramay (3-3, 4-2 NWA Conference) answered in the fourth quarter, putting together a 94-yard drive, capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Devon Harvey to Casey Perry. Harrison Smith added the crucial PAT to tie the game.
In overtime, Ramay stopped Black on its first possession, setting the table for Gahagans' game-winning touchdown.
Ramay plays at Springdale George while Black hosts Fayetteville Woodland on Thursday.
Bentonville Gold 35, Rogers 6
BENTONVILLE--Dallas Hardison and Chris Scroggins connected on two touchdown passes to help Gold remain undefeated.
Gold (8-0, 6-0 NWA) got off to a quick start 2-yard touchdown run from Demarcus Murphy and a 26-yard rushing score from Hardison.
Duncan Balch recovered a fumble, which led to a 22-yard strike from Hardison to Scroggins, giving Gold a 21-0 halftime lead.
Hardison and Scroggins hooked up for a 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter and John Hembry broke a 54-yard touchdown run in the fourth to seal the win.
Washington stayed unbeaten with a 32-8 win over Rogers in the eighth-grade game.
Gold hosts Springdale Central on Thursday.
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