September 16, 2022 - Marked Time

IMG_0480_(2) — Heber Springs quarterback **Xander Lindley** fights for yards against a Jonesboro Westside defender Friday night at Panther Stadium. **PHILIP SEATON PHOTO**

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Two plays switched momentum from Jonesboro Westside to the Heber Springs Panthers during the second half of Friday’s nonconference football game at Panther Stadium.

Heber Springs linebacker Chris Edwards’ tackle knocked the ball loose from Westside’s Cameron Hedges, Carter Julian recovered, and then Easton Cusick caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Xander Lindley sealed the deal.

The Panthers (1-2) finished the nonconference schedule with a 28-13 win against the Warriors (1-2).

Heber Springs will open the 2-4A Conference schedule by hosting Cave City (0-4) for homecoming on Friday.

“We got the turnover, went down the field and scored, and took control of the game,” Panther coach Todd Wood said. “Then, we got the stop and that is what you must do against teams like Westside, which likes to control the football with the running game.”

Edwards led the defense with 18 tackles and had an 11-yard quarterback sack. Kenan Sneed, who had 17 tackles, knocked a Westside blocker out of the play for Edwards, who made the defensive play of the game by forcing a fumble. Heber Springs held a 21-13 lead before Cusick’s touchdown.

“I had a wide-open run at him,” Edwards said. “I grabbed his arm and the ball came out. We recovered and the offense scored on the next play. We had been over pursuing early in the game, but adjusted. We played better during the second half.”

Sophomore Carter Julian, who started at cornerback for the first time this season, recovered the fumble.

“Chris had the guy, and I came to the ball,” Julian said. “I saw the ball lying on the ground and jumped on it.”

Julian began preseason practice at linebacker before his recent move to cornerback. Wood said he had a good week of practice and showed it against the Warriors.

“Carter is a physical player,” Wood said. “He had a good game. (Sophomore) Jacob (McMullen) also played well.”

Once Heber Spring corralled the Warriors’ running game, the game’s outcome was decided. Westside was ineffective with their passing game, 0-of-6.

“I challenged the defense before the game we needed three stops, so we could score two touchdowns and force Westside to play catchup,” Wood said. “We wanted to put them behind on the scoreboard.”

Wood immediately decided to go deep on the next play and put the game away.

“Easton runs that kind of route well,” he said. “We wanted to take a shot and go for the big play after the turnover. It worked perfectly.”

Heber Springs had 301 yards of total offense — 117 rushing and 184 pass. Lindley completed 12-of-23 passes for 184 yards, two interceptions and two touchdowns. The Panthers overcame three turnovers.

Dalton Yancey caught five passes for 72 yards and one touchdown. Parker Brown had four catches for 54 yards. Cusick snagged two passes for 46 yards and one touchdown. Logan Rutledge caught one pass for 12 yards.

Lindley, who was responsible for 254 yards of the team’s total offense, was the leading rusher with eight carries for 70 yards. Brown ran for 47 yards on 14 attempts and scored two touchdowns.

Brown gained 187 all-purpose yards, including three punt returns for 61 yards and two kickoff returns for 25 yards. Brown also had an apparent 72-yard punt return for a touchdown, but it was called back by a penalty during the second quarter.

Westside gained 320 yards of offense, all rushing. Hedges rushed 15 times for 103 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury in the third quarter. Darvin Fowler had 100 yards on 14 carries.

The Warriors drove 57 yards on seven plays for the initial lead. Westside, who grounded out two first downs, took the 7-0 lead on Hedges’ 30-yard touchdown run with 4:53 remaining in the first quarter. Montana Neely kicked the extra point.

The Panthers tied the game late in the first half on a 7-play, 87-yard drive. Lindley kept the drive going by scrambling for 11 and 19 yards on third-down plays.

Lindley and Yancey hooked up on the next two plays.

He passed 20 yards to Yancey and then connected with Yancey on a 32-yard scoring toss with 2:26 left in the first half. Gideon Tate, who was a perfect 4-for-4 on extra-points on the night, converted the conversion kick to tie the game at 7-7.

“The pocket was collapsing, but I found running room,” said Lindley when asked about the two scrambles. “I threw to Dalton on the next play, then hit him on the slant for the touchdown.”

Wood said the momentum shift began late during the first quarter once the defense made its adjustments.

“We had to match the speed of the game,” he said. “We were having issues with our outside containment. Westside got two big plays against us. We finally got it going and scored before the end of the first half.”

The Warriors scored on their first second-half-possession and regained the lead. Hedges ran 35 yards for the touchdown with 9:43 to in the third quarter. Neely missed the conversion kick as Westside led, 13-7.

Heber Springs recovered an onside kickoff at the Panther 44-yard line and didn’t take long in reaching the end zone. Brown caught a 35-yard pass from Lindley and then he scored on an 18-yard run to tie the game with 8:21 remaining. Tate kicked the extra point for the 14-13 lead, Heber’s first lead of the season.

A mistake in the kicking game benefitted Heber Springs and set up the next touchdown. Westside punter Weston Watlington shanked the kick to the right side. Corbin Jones scooped up the ball off the side of his foot and returned 32 yards for a first-and-goal at the 5-yard line. Brown scored on the next play as Tate’s successful kick increased the margin to 21-13.

Heber Springs extended its lead 20 seconds later following Julian’s fumble recovery on Lindley’s touchdown pass to Cusick with 6:06 left in the third quarter.

“It was a good pass to Easton,” Lindley said. “It gave us even more momentum.”

The nonconference schedule is in the books for the Panthers, who will play Cave City at home on Friday.

“This win will give us confidence going into conference play,” Wood said. “Xander is getting more comfortable and improving every game. I challenged him to be more of a runner because that will make the defense respect that and also open up other plays for the offense. It’s homecoming and the players need to enjoy it, but our goal is to be 1-0 in conference after the game.”

NOTES: First downs — Jonesboro Westside 13, Heber Springs 11; Penalties — Jonesboro Westside 7-71, Heber Springs 9-75; Punts — Parker Brown, Heber Springs, 2-39.0; Quarterback sacks — Chris Edwards 1 (11-yard loss) and Parker Brown 1 (7-yard loss).

Brought to you by Business Booster Tate Family Chiropractic

IMG_9669_(2)

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The Heber Springs Panthers (0-2) will seek to build momentum going into the 2-4 Conference schedule by hosting Jonesboro Westside (1-1) in a nonconference football game at 7 p.m. tonight.

Heber Springs, which lost to Clinton and Southside Batesville during the past two weeks, looks for consistent play on both sides of the line of scrimmage going into the conference opener against Cave City, also at Panther Stadium, next Friday.

“It was not the outcome we wanted,” said Heber Springs coach Todd Wood said when asked about the team’s start. “One of the keys against Southside were the turnovers inside the redzone. If we could have avoided the turnovers, we could have trailed by a touchdown or maybe tied at halftime. Defensively, we couldn’t match Southside’s size and strength. We still can be a good team if we start clicking on both sides of the ball.”

The Panthers showed more life on offense at times against Southside, except for the turnovers. Quarterback Xander Lindley completed 20-of-28 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown. Dalton Yancey caught seven passes for 75 yards, while Easton Cusick had six catches for 53 yards. Parker Brown snagged grabbed four passes for 35 yards and one touchdown.
Heber Springs, which has rushed for 209 yards through two games, will look for increased production from the running game.

“It’s a of matter learning from our mistakes, highlighting the positives and getting better at what we do,” Wood said. “Westside’s line is more to our level, but a little bigger than us. It’s a better matchup. We are hoping to put everything together for Westside.”

Wood liked playing a new nonconference opponent, and he said that will test his team.

“It’s good to play new teams and look at someone different,” Wood said. “Xander played more comfortable against Southside than Clinton. He is getting an idea what he needs to do.”

Wood expects Westside, like Southside, to ground and pound, and he believes the HSHS defense will be up to the task in controlling the Warriors’ run game.

“Westside will use two and three running backs,” Wood said. “They have the line and the backs to play that type of offense.”

Wood expects his team’s best performance of the season during Friday’s game

“It’s our last chance to put everything together for conference play,” Wood said. “It’s always nice to play at home. It’s a different level and excitement. We had a good home crowd last week. The game will be more of a test what we will face during conference play.”

Brought to you by Business Booster Tate Family Chiropractic