NO. 1 HAR-BER WINS IN SHOW-ME STATE

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- In a battle of contrasting styles Friday night, Springdale Har-Ber was unstoppable. Jefferson City entered the game averaging nearly 250 yards on the ground. It could only manage 130 yards on 42 attempts. And 46 of those came on Jefferson City's final drive of the game. "They really focused and zoned in," Har-Ber Coach Chris Wood said of the defense following the No. 1-ranked Wildcats' 38-0 win. "The kids executed. They played really well tonight." The first half told the story. Har-Ber quarterback Grant Allen distributed the ball all around the field, completing 12 of 16 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the first 24 minutes. He finished 14-of-21 for 198 yards and three scores. His first scoring toss was a 23-yarder to running back Logan Collins, who caught the quick pass to the left side, made one man miss and ran into the end zone to put Har-Ber up 7-0 with 4 minutes, 48 seconds left in the opening quarter. Missed tackles became an issue for the Jays. On Har-Ber's next drive, Matt Thomas sidestepped a defender on a 23-yard gain. Allen scrambled for runs of 8 and 10 yards on the drive and Bryton Cook capped it off with a 21-yard jet sweep for a 14-0 lead with 9:19 left in the second quarter. The Wildcats also got the Jays to jump offside on a fourth-and-2 from the Jefferson City 22. The score came two plays later. Cook got around three defenders on a 31-yard touchdown catch and run to make it 21-0 with 5:27 left in the first half. "He's one of the better athletes in our state," Wood said of Cook. "He doesn't get a lot of credit for what he does. ... He's just explosive and can run and makes plays." The Jefferson City defense stiffened in the second half, forcing a punt on the first drive and holding the Wildcats to a Jesus Zizumbo 40-yard field goal on another drive. But like in Har-Ber's season-opening win last week against Fort Smith Southside, big plays were the difference. On Har-Ber's second drive of the second half, Jays safety Ryan Brooks knocked down a pass on a third-and-11, a key stop that turned into a 67-yard touchdown run by Allen on a fake punt. Instead of a 3-and-out, it was 28-0 Wildcats with 3:25 left in the third quarter. Zizumbo's field goal was set up by an Ekyious Sanders interception to place the Wildcats in the red zone. It was the second time in the game a turnover generated points for Har-Ber.

NO. 1 HAR-BER WINS IN SHOW-ME STATE

Photo Credit: Har-Ber Athletics

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