Fayetteville edges Rogers in 7A-West Arkansas football shootout

Bulldogs QB Drake Lindsey threw for six touchdowns

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - In a classic gridiron shootout, Fayetteville was able to throw the final punch in a 47-42 win over Rogers to take control atop the 7A-West. 

Fayetteville’s Drake Lindsey and Rogers’ Dane Williams each threw six touchdown passes in the game. 

The teams stayed within one score of each other throughout the first half as each quarterback through three touchdown passes. 

It didn’t take Fayetteville long to get on the scoreboard as a Drake Lindsey connected with Jaison DeLamar on an 86-yard touchdown pass, less than a minute into the game.

Rogers tied it on a 68-yards pass from Dane Williams to Jacob Jenkins, just two plays after the Mounties stops the Bulldogs on 4th-and-short at the Rogers 29. Four minutes later, the Mounties took a 14-7 lead on Williams 29-yard strike to Jeff Reagan.

Fayetteville knotted it at 14-14 on Lindsey’s 50-yard bomb to Mason Spencer, before hitting Landon Jones on a 28-yarder to put the Bulldogs back in front, 21-14.

Rogers got even with 1:03 left in the first half when Williams tossed a 7-yard dart to Verser.

Williams and the Mounties sprung out of the locker room with a quick 57-yards touchdown to Reagan on the second play of second half.

Less than two minutes later, it was Lindsey’s turn, as he threw a perfect 41-yard pass to a well-covered Spencer. That tied the score at 28-28 with 10:04 left in the third quarter.

Rogers re-took the lead with 5:12 left in the third, on a 25-yards pass to Braxton Lindsey.

Fayetteville drove down to the Mounties’ 5, before turning the ball over on downs, late in the third.

But Fayetteville’s Noah Janski picked off a Williams pass at the Rogers 21. Two plays later, Lindsey tossed the ball to Spencer, who sprinted in for the 23-yard score, tying the game once again at 35-35.

Fayetteville drove back into Rogers territory but had to settle for Nathan Kachel’s 24-yard field goal with 9:26 to play in the game.

Rogers drove right back down on the ensuing possession, taking the lead on Braxton Lindsey’s 5-yard pass from Williams at the 7:48 mark.

Fayetteville then took advantage of a pass interference, followed by a personal foul call, against the Mounties. Lindsey hit a leaping Charlie Graves for a 15-yard TD — taking a 45-42 lead with five minutes to play.

After a sack by Jones pushed Rogers back to 4th-and-26 from the Mounties’ 3, Williams took an intentional safety, trying to prevent Fayetteville from good field position.

Rogers then forced a Fayetteville punt, as the snap went over the punter’s head, allowing the Mounties to take over at the Bulldogs 23.

Rogers began the drive with a fumbled handoff, allowing Fayetteville’s Jeff Miller to pounce on it and kill the final drive.

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3 Takeaways 

1

A week after Fayetteville senior quarterback Drake Lindsey threw a career-high 6 touchdown passes in a win over Bentonville West, and Rogers senior Dane Williams threw a career-high 6 TDs against Fort Smith Southside, the two faced off Friday night and duplicated those numbers. In the end, a field goal and a safety proved to be the difference in the 47-42 Bulldogs victory.

“It was a crazy game,” said Lindsey. “All shout out to Rogers. They are a great football team. Physical, very smart. And hats off to Dane, because he played a great game, too. It was obviously a legendary game, so it was awesome to be a part of it.”

2

Late in the third quarter, with Rogers up 35-28, it looked as though Fayetteville would tie things up again, as the Bulldogs drove down to the Rogers 5-yard line. But the Mounties defense held tight and was able to take over on downs to thwart the threat. Unfortunately for Rogers, the Bulldogs Noah Janski picked off a Williams pass on the ensuing drive, setting the Bulldogs up at the Mounties 23. Two plays later, Lindsey hit a Mason Spencer to knot the score at 35-35.

“I’m just super proud of out kids,” Fayetteville head coach Casey Dick said. “I mean, the fight that they showed that entire game and until the end. I just kept telling them, ‘Keep fighting and something will happen’. And they just found a way to win.”

3

On 4th-and-26, deep in its own territory, Rogers took an intentional safety late in the fourth, with hope of getting better field position on the free kick. It seemed to have worked when, on the following drive, Fayetteville sent the ball over their punter’s head, thus giving the ball back to the Mounties at the Bulldogs 23. But Rogers fumbled the ball away on the first play of the drive, allowing Fayetteville to recover and run out the clock