Bash and dash: Bentonville leans on defense in win against Har-Ber

ENTONVILLE — Cole Joyce doesn’t get his hands on the football all that often, but when the Bentonville senior does, he knows what to do with it. Joyce returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown and led a swarming Tiger defense that dominated Springdale Har-Ber 45-6 Friday in the 7A-West Conference opener at Tiger Stadium. “I think we had a really good play lined up right there, and it ended up that the pass was right there where I was,” said the linebacker who is verbally committed to Central Florida. “I just took advantage, just caught it and took off with it.” The pick-six by Joyce was one of two defensive touchdowns for the Tigers (4-0, 1-0 7A-West). Senior Zane Ochoa also celebrated in the black and gold end zone as his 46-yard scoop and score on a fumble recovery set Friday’s win in motion. Ochoa scooped up an errant option pitch and dashed to the house with 1 minute, 6 seconds left in the first quarter for a 7-0 Bentonville lead. "I really liked the way our defense played tonight,” said Tigers coach Jody Grant. “Scoring a pair of touchdowns is impressive. I really like the way our whole team is performing at this point. We’ve still got some things to clean up and we understand that, but overall we’re very excited about this performance.” Bentonville did not produce a ton of eye-popping statistics offensively, compiling just 94 yards on the ground and 166 through the air. But the Tigers didn’t need a lot of offense considering they allowed Har-Ber (0-4, 0-1) just 154 total yards and only one late score after the 35-point mercy rule was in play. Ochoa’s defensive score sparked the Tigers, who 17 points in the second quarter to take a 24-0 lead into the halftime. Bentonville quarterback Andrew Edwards twice connected with junior receiver Chas Nimrod on scoring passes in the second quarter. The first was an 18-yard strike where Edwards bought time and kept the play alive with a scramble to the left side, finding Nimrod in the front of the end zone. The second came on a skinny post where Edwards threaded the needle with a pass in tight coverage. Nimrod out-battled a Har-Ber defender for the ball as they tumbled into the end zone with 1:53 left in the half. Bentonville kicker Logan Tymeson ended the half with a 37-yard field goal that split the uprights and a 24-0 lead. After a less-than-sparkling opening drive of the third quarter saw the Tigers get flagged for a penalty then lose 7 yards on back-to-back running plays, Joyce’s defensive score sparked the team again. Joyce was drilled in the chest by the Wildcats’ quarterback and he easily returned the interception 44 yards for the score and a 31-0 lead. The Tigers invoked the mercy rule on their next drive as junior quarterback Drew Wright led Bentonville on a 7-play, 47-yard drive. Josh Ficklin had runs of 8, 6 and 6, the last going off-tackle for the touchdown and a 38-0 lead with 5:14 left in the third quarter. Har-Ber added a late touchdown on sophomore Hudson Brewer’s 8-yard run with just 21 seconds left in the game. “The important thing is that we’re 1-0 in conference,” said Grant. “We just beat a really good football team. But being 4-0 and continuing to let these kids have success throughout the week has been fun.” FOUR DOWNS • Edwards finished the game 11-of-19 for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Wright was 4-of-4 for 38 yards and 1 touchdown • Brewer led the Wildcats with 56 yards on 18 carries and one touchdown. • The game marked the home opener for Bentonville. The Tigers played all three non-conference games on the road including two out-of-state games in Missouri and Kansas. • Har-Ber is scheduled to host Rogers Heritage next week. Bentonville will travel to Fort Smith Southside. GALLERY: Bentonville v. Springdale Har-Ber: Click Here ]

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Bentonville High School Athletics

BASH AND DASH: BENTONVILLE LEANS ON DEFENSE IN WIN AGAINST HAR-BER

CHIP SOUZA

nwaonline.com | 9/27/2020