Van Buren leaned on its defense throughout then received a go-ahead 2-yard touchdown rush from Tristan Ray with 36 seconds left to pull away late for a 17-10 victory against Fort Smith Southside in a 6A-West matchup.
"I'm lost for words," Van Buren Coach Moe Henry said. "I'm proud of the guys fighting all the way until the end. It took four quarters to be able to do this. Our offense has been putting up fireworks left and right, so it's good for the defense to come out and stake claim to a victory for us. Our defensive coaching staff is doing a phenomenal job getting the most out of our players, who are taking that game plan and executing it."
The Pointers' defense set the tone early with two interceptions to stop the Mavericks' initial drives of the game. Senior linebacker Darren Mays took his back for a 50-yard touchdown to give Van Buren a 7-0 lead early. Senior defensive backs Talen Jones and Ray also had interceptions for Van Buren.
"We have it going right now," Mays said. "It comes from practice, effort and working together. I feel like we are bonding more as a team. I thought our secondary showed out in this game. On the touchdown, I remember dropping in coverage and stopping when the ball was thrown. I grabbed it, put it in one hand and went after that."
Antwon Cooper had two tackles for a loss in the game, while Mays and Braden Daws each had one as well.
When it was needed most down the stretch, Van Buren's defense answered the call to help get the win. Southside tied the game at 10-10 with 6:22 left in the third quarter with the initial offensive touchdown by either team in the game.
The Pointers after that went to work not allowing another point, stopping the final three drives from the Mavericks. Van Buren stopped a fourth-and-goal play at its own 1 with Jaxson Silvers and Donovan Akins securing the tackle. On the next drive, Southside was forced to punt after Jace Ponder and Silvers combined for a sack, setting up the go-ahead touchdown on offense. Then on the final drive of the game with Southside at the Van Buren 41, Silvers, Daws and Cooper combined for a sack to seal the game as time expired.
Van Buren led 7-3 after the opening quarter and 10-3 at halftime before Southside tied the game at 10-10 entering the fourth quarter.
The game-winning drive for Van Buren went 10 plays and 74 yards starting with 2:38 left to play. The Pointers turned to trickery to help flip the field when wide receiver Austin Riggs completed a 33-yard pass to the opposing 20 to fellow wide receiver Philip Steele.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: After securing 13 tackles last week against Lake Hamilton, Mays continued to play at a high level against Southside. He had an interception returned for a 50-yard touchdown and had a tackle for a loss to help guide a unit that has issued just 17 points in the past three games.
"This start to conference play has been special," Mays said. "We're trying to make a push for a playoff home game and turn this program around. We are playing very, very well right now."
PLAY OF THE GAME: After not winning the starting quarterback job, Ray's role hasn't been the one he hoped to play this season in his last with the Pointers. But it hasn't stopped him from producing when presented with opportunities. That couldn't have been more the case Friday when he provided the go-ahead score on a bulldozing 2-yard rush with just 36 seconds left, continuing to thrive as a short-yard rushing specialist. He also had a red zone interception earlier in the game filling in for an injury on defense.
"I heard them before the play screaming, 'let them score,'" Ray said. "But then they tried to tackle me, so I had to drive them in. This is all crazy. I knew this group of seniors was good, but we are going to keep going. We aren't done yet. This is not what I wanted, but I'm trying to do what I can to show them that I'm the one. I'm just doing what I can."
It was a performance that made his coach overjoyed after the game.
"I'm super proud of him," Henry said. "He stays the course. I can't say enough about him. We need a team full of him. He could've easily tucked his tail and been upset about not being the starting quarterback. But he's accepted his role and is even playing defense. I knew he could play back there. They hadn't seen him back there all year, so I knew they'd try him. We wanted that."
INJURY REPORT: Van Buren had senior defensive back Brady Perkins depart the game early with Ray stepping up in the secondary. After not finishing last week's game, Southside had senior quarterback Blake Forsgren return to action.
NOTABLE: Van Buren sophomore running back Hayden Christenberry was a big part of the game plan. He rushed 26 times for 139 yards. ... Southside countered with an underclassman running back of its own with freshman Terrell Warren rushing 26 times for 123 yards. ... Southside wide receiver Peyton Zimmerman continued his strong senior year. He caught 7 passes for 126 yards, including a 56-yard short touchdown pass from Forsgren to tie the game at 10-10 in the third quarter ... Southside's defense held Van Buren to a season-low point total. The unit was guided by Ethan Dunn (sack, fumble recovery and a forced fumble), Malachi Warren (sack), Daniel Morales (sack) and Darieon McGrew (fumble recovery). Colton Viengthong also recovered a fumble on special teams. ... Southside had 13 penalties in the game, including one that took away a 28-yard touchdown pass from Forsgren to Wilson Key in a drive that ended with a field goal. ... For Van Buren, Jalen Brown blocked a punt that was recovered by Ponder. ... Manning Dodson made a 32-yard field goal for Van Buren, while Rodrigo Hernandez connected on a 35-yard field goal for Southside.
UP NEXT: Van Buren (5-2, 4-0) with its win sets up a showdown on the road with Class 6A defending state champion Greenwood (6-0, 4-0). Southside (4-3, 1-3) will seek to bounce back at home against Russellville (0-7, 0-4).
THAT FIGURES
6 -- combined defensive takeaways
346 -- combined rushing yards
--------------------
Van Buren 17, Fort Smith Southside 10
Southside^3^0^7^0^--^10
Van Buren^7^3^0^7^--^17
First Quarter
Van Buren -- Mays 50 interception return (Dodson kick), 6:25
Southside -- Hernandez 35 FG, 1:35
Second Quarter
Van Buren -- Dodson 32 FG, 11:43
Third Quarter
Southside -- Zimmerman 56 pass from Forsgren (Hernandez kick). 6:22
Fourth Quarter
Van Buren -- Ray 2 rush (Dodson kick), :36
TEAM STATISTICS^SOUTHSIDE^VAN BUREN
First downs^20^15
Rushes-yards^42-144^37-202
Passing yards^221^96
Comp-Att-Int^16-27-3^12-19-0
Punts^4-21^2-43
Fumbles-lost^1-0^3-3
Penalties-yards^13-79^4-53
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING Southside -- T. Warr... Click here to read full article
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