Rain, Southerners dampen Heber Springs’ Homecoming
October 25, 2019
Southside Batesville blew open a close game in the second half and cruised to a 48-20 win over Heber Springs in 4A-2 conference play on a rainy Friday at Panther Stadium.
The loss spoiled the homecoming festivities for the Panthers and queen McKenzie Becerra, and put Heber Springs (2-3 in the 4A-2, 2-6) in a must win situation if they hope to make the 4A playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
Julio Rubio rushed 11 times for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including an 84-yarder that gave the Panthers a 6-0 lead with 9:21 to play in the first quarter and a 3-yarder with 6:38 to play in the first half to tie things up at 13-all. The Southerners (4-1, 6-2) used a methodical running game (65 carries for 292 yards) to dominate the time of possession (32:15 to 15:45), passing sparingly but effectively (eight times, completing five of those for four touchdowns – including two on fourth down), to take control of the game and clinch a playoff spot.
After Rubio’s second touchdown, Southside took possession of the ball and drove to the Panther 27 before the Heber Springs’ defense got a stop on a fourth-and-2 play (the only fourth down stop for the Panthers on the night in five attempts).
Adam Martin completed a 6-yard pass to Martin and Rubio ran for 10 yards for a first down as Heber Springs moved the ball to their own 44, but a holding penalty and a sack stalled the drive and forced a punt with 1:17 left in the half.
The Southerners then marched downfield on an eight-play, 61-yard drive that Braden Jones capped off with an 18-yard scoring pass to Jonathan Shane with 7.9 seconds left.
Southside came out of the halftime locker room and marched 64-yards on a six-play drive that featured four penalties (two on Southside and two on Heber Springs) as Jones found Landen Haas for 51-yard scoring strike with 8:35 to play in the third quarter to make it 27-13.
Martin took control on the next drive to pull the Panthers within a score at 27-20 with 7:20 play in the third quarter rushing three times for 43 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown, but the Southerners scored 21 unanswered points to take control.
HOMECOMING COURT: Homecoming Queen McKenzie Becerra. Senior Maids Samantha Hilborn and Maddi Vowels. Junior maids Taleah White and Sydney Buffalo. Sophomore maids Natalie Buffalo and Vallie Cantrell. Freshman maids Marin McKenzie and Lauren Presley. Escorts Bryeken Pruitt and Cali McKee.
SCORING
Southside Batesville (4-1, 6-2) 7 13 14 14 - 48 Heber Springs (2-3, 2-6) 6 7 7 0 - 20 FIRST QUARTER Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 84-yard run (kick failed), 9:21 Southside Batesville - Braden Jones to Kilynn Dugger 33-yard pass (Skylar Anorve kick), 3:27 SECOND QUARTER Southside Batesville - Larkin Jones 10-yard run (run failed), 11:24 Heber Springs - Rubio 3-yard run (Jackson Harrod kick), 6:38 Southside Batesville - Braden Jones to Jonathan Shane 18-yard pass (Anorve kick), 7.9 THIRD QUARTER Southside Batesville - Braden Jones to Landen Haas 51-yard pass (Anorve kick), 8:35 Heber Springs - Adam Martin 18-yard run (Harrod kick), 7:20 Southside Batesville - Braden Jones to Shane 25-yard pass (Anorve kick), 2:05 FOURTH QUARTER Southside Batesville - Braden Jones 4-yard run (Anorve kick), 7:17 Southside Batesville - Jacob Dunne 4-yard run (Anorve kick), 2:00
TEAM STATS
First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 8, Southside Batesville 18 First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 3, Southside Batesville 5 First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, Southside Batesville 3 Total First Downs: Heber Springs 11, Southside Batesville 26 Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 1/7, Southside Batesville 8/14 Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 0/3, Southside Batesville 4/5 Red-Zone Possessions: Heber Springs 2/2, Southside Batesville 4/5 Time of Possession: Heber Springs 15:45, Southside Batesville 32:15 Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 2/0, Southside Batesville 2/2 Turnovers: Heber Springs 0, Southside Batesville 2 Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 14, Southside Batesville 0 Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 9/70, Southside Batesville 9/95 Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 44/238/5.4, Southside Batesville 73/432/5.9 Rushing: Heber Springs 25/166/6.6, Southside Batesville 65/292/4.5 Passing: Heber Springs 11/19-72-0/0, Southside Batesville 5/8-140-4/0 Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 0/0, Southside Batesville 1/5 Punts: Heber Springs 3/100/33.3, Southside Batesville 0/0 Punts Inside 20: Heber Springs 0, Southside Batesville 0/0
INDIVIDUAL STATS
OFFENSE RUSHING: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 11/133/12.1, Adam Martin 10/35/3.5, Levy Phillips 3/20/6.7, Team 1/(-22). Southside Batesville, Braden Jones 17/88/5.2, Alex Palmer 16/82/5.1, Larkin Jones 13/55/4.2, Brenden Frazier 11/36/3.3, Bryson Duncan 6/25/4.2, Jacob Dunne 1/4, Josh Narramore 1/2. RUSHING RUNS OF 50+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1) RUSHING RUNS OF 40+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1) RUSHING RUNS OF 40+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1) RUSHING RUNS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1) RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1), Adam Martin (1) RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (2), Adam Martin (2), Levy Phillips (1). Southside Batesville, Larkin Jones (3), Alex Palmer (3), Brenden Frazier (1) PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 11/19-72-0/0. Southside Batesville, Braden Jones 5/8-140-4/0 RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Landon Johnson 3/19, Matthew Cook 3/15, Hunter Kent 1/10, Dalton McCollum 1/9, Diego Rubio 1/8, Fate Berry 1/7, Julio Rubio 1/4. Southside Batesville, Jonathan Shane 2/43, Landen Haas 1/51, Kilynn Dugger 1/33, Payton Walls 1/13. TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 133, Adam Martin 107, Levy Phillips 20, Team (-22). Southside Batesville, Braden Jones 228, Alex Palmer 82, Larkin Jones 55, Brenden Frazier 36, Bryson Duncan 25, Jacob Dunne 4, Josh Narramore 2. PUNT RETURNS: Southside Batesville, Brenden Frazier 1/10 KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Levy Phillips 2/23, Jackson West 1/14. Southside Bateville, none. FUMBLE RETURNS: None INTERCEPTION RETURNS: None ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 137, Levy Phillips 43, Adam Martin 35, Landon Johnson 19, Matthew Cook 15, Jackson West 14, Hunter Kent 10, Dalton McCollum 9, Diego Rubio 8, Fate Berry 7, Team (-22). Southside Batesville, Braden Jones 88, Alex Palmer 82, Larkin Jones 55, Landen Haas 51, Brenden Frazier 46, Jonathan Shane 43, Kilynn Dugger 33, Bryson Duncan 25, Payton Walls 13, Jacob Dunne 4, Josh Narramore 2. DEFENSE TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Landon Johnson 10/3/13, Diego Rubio 10/3/13, Fate Berry 10/1/11, Nicholas Hitchcock 8/1/9, Levy Phillips 5/2/7, Hunter Kent 6/1/7, Jackson West 6/0/6, Matthew Cook 5/0/5, Kaden Hughes 4/0/4, Hunter Griffin 3/1/4, Trevor Weathers 2/1/3, Dalton McCollum 2/0/2, Harley Bresnahan 0/1/1, Nate Dearmond 0/1/1, Harley Hannah 1/0/1. Southside Batesville, Alex Palmer 7/1/8, Payton Walls 4/4/8, Zach Howell 4/3/7, Isaac Smith 7/0/7, Larkin Jones 3/4/7, Lucas Nicholson 4/2/6, Jamie Riggs 1/4/5, Caden Clark 3/1/4, Bryson Duncan 2/1/3, Landen Haas 2/1/3, Jace Grigsby 2/0/2, Brenden Frazier 1/1/2, Cole Weaver 2/0/2, Austin Mathis 2/0/2. TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Diego Rubio 3, Landon Johnson 2, Fate Berry 1, Kaden Hughes 1, Hunter Griffin 1. Batesville Southside, Alex Palmer 2, Lucas Nicholson 1. SACKS/YARDS LOST: Southside Batesville, Alex Palmer 1/5 INTERCEPTIONS: None FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent, Diego Rubio. PUNTING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 3/100/33.3. PUNTS INSIDE 20: None
4A-2 STANDINGS
W L CP W L PS PA Riverview 5 0 49 7 1 288 203 Southside Batesville 4 1 41 6 2 268 196 Little Rock Mills 3 2 14 4 4 165 186 Central Arkansas Christian 2 3 20 4 4 234 208 Lonoke 2 3 15 3 5 232 255 Heber Springs 2 3 14 2 6 197 251 Bald Knob 2 3 8 2 6 127 254 Stuttgart 0 5 0 0 8 204 278 Friday, October 25 Southside Batesville 48, Heber Springs 20 Little Rock Mills 20, Stuttgart 14 Central Arkansas Christian 28, Lonoke 21 (OT) Riverview 42, Bald Knob 14 Friday, November 1 Bald Knob at Central Arkansas Christian Riverview at Heber Springs Stuttgart at Lonoke Little Rock Mills at Southside Batesville Thursday, November 7 Lonoke at Riverview Friday, November 8 Bald Knob at Southside Batesville Heber Springs at Little Rock Mills Central Arkansas Christian at Stuttgart
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS
CLINCHED: Riverview and Southside Batesville have both clinched playoff spots.
ELIMINATED: Stuttgart was officially eliminated with the loss to Little Rock Mills, but can still play spoiler the next two weeks.
CAN STILL WIN AT LEAST SHARE OF CONFERENCE TITLE: Riverview, Southside Batesville and Little Rock Mills. Riverview controls its own destiny. If the Raiders win out, they will win their first conference title in football. If they split between Heber Springs and Lonoke, and Southside Batesville wins out, the two teams share the crown with Riverview getting the No. 1 seed. Southside Batesville needs Riverview to lose both while winning both. Little Rock Mills would need Riverview to lose both and the Comets would have to win both to earn a share of the conference title.
BEST SHAPE FOR PLAYOFF SPOTS: Little Rock Mills and Central Arkansas Christian. CAC clinches a playoff spot with a win this week or next week, and owns tiebreakers over Lonoke and Heber Springs.
WIN OUT AND IN: If Lonoke, Bald Knob or Heber Springs win out, they would get into the 4A playoffs. Lonoke owns tiebreakers over Heber Springs and Bald Knob, while Heber Springs owns the head-to-head with Bald Knob.
HEBER SPRINGS: If the Panthers win out, they would get in the playoffs and still potentially get a home playoff game if CAC and Lonoke both lose one game. If Heber Springs wins one of two, then Heber Springs could still make the playoffs depending upon the outcome of other games.
WEEK 9 PREDICTIONS: 1. Riverview, 2. Southside Batesville, 3. Little Rock Mills, 4. Central Arkansas Christian, 5. Lonoke.