Reeves, Buckner Score Twice as North Little Rock Pulls Away
North Little Rock 42, Springdale 17
SPRINGDALE — Christain Reeves and Jeremiah Buckner scored two touchdowns apiece as North Little Rock turned a five-point halftime lead into a 42-17 victory over Springdale Friday at Gerald Williams Bulldog Stadium.
The Charging Wildcats scored touchdowns on their first three second-half possessions and improved to 3-0.
Springdale opened with Logan Hart’s 60-yard touchdown pass to Orion Leautu with 9:24 remaining in the first quarter. Sergio Zuniga’s kick made it 7-0.
Carlos Zamora intercepted a pass to give North Little Rock possession at Springdale’s 30. Robert Jackson finished that drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.
North Little Rock recovered the ensuing kickoff at Springdale’s 9, and Peyton Reynolds’ field goal put the Wildcats ahead 9-7. Buckner’s 20-yard run extended the lead to 15-7 with 3:26 before halftime.
Leautu completed a pass to Hart on Springdale’s next possession, helping set up Zuniga’s 29-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining.
Jackson’s fourth-and-seven completion to Devin Harris extended North Little Rock’s opening third-quarter drive. Reeves scored from 25 yards on the next play for a 22-10 lead, finishing a nine-play, 74-yard scoring drive.
Wilder Lherisse answered with an 85-yard touchdown run on Springdale’s next offensive play. Zuniga’s kick cut the lead to 22-17 with 8:42 left.
Buckner responded with a 30-yard touchdown run, and Jackson found Reeves on a screen that covered 51 yards for another score. North Little Rock led 35-17 with 6:30 remaining in the third quarter.
Springdale reached first-and-goal at the 10 on its next possession, but North Little Rock recovered a fumble to stop the threat.
Jackson capped the scoring with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Harris with 7:57 remaining in the fourth quarter. Reynolds added the extra point.
Leautu finished with three catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Jackson threw two touchdown passes and ran for another.
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
Springdale — Orion Leautu 60-yard touchdown pass from Logan Hart (Sergio Zuniga kick), Springdale 7-0, 9:24.
2nd Quarter
North Little Rock — Robert Jackson 5-yard touchdown run (kick failed), Springdale 7-6, 8:42.
North Little Rock — Peyton Reynolds field goal, North Little Rock 9-7, 7:46.
North Little Rock — Jeremiah Buckner 20-yard touchdown run (two-point attempt failed), North Little Rock 15-7, 3:26.
Springdale — Sergio Zuniga 29-yard field goal, North Little Rock 15-10, 0:28.
3rd Quarter
North Little Rock — Christain Reeves 25-yard touchdown run (Peyton Reynolds kick), North Little Rock 22-10, 8:59.
Springdale — Wilder Lherisse 85-yard touchdown run (Sergio Zuniga kick), North Little Rock 22-17, 8:42.
North Little Rock — Jeremiah Buckner 30-yard touchdown run (Peyton Reynolds kick), North Little Rock 29-17, 7:55.
North Little Rock — Christain Reeves 51-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass from Robert Jackson (kick failed), North Little Rock 35-17, 6:30.
4th Quarter
North Little Rock — Devin Harris 56-yard touchdown pass from Robert Jackson (Peyton Reynolds kick), North Little Rock 42-17, 7:57.
Players of the Game
- Christain Reeves, North Little Rock, running back: Two touchdowns — a 25-yard run to finish the opening second-half possession and a 51-yard reception on a screen pass later in the third quarter.
- Jeremiah Buckner, North Little Rock, running back: Two rushing touchdowns, covering 20 and 30 yards. His second score extended North Little Rock’s lead to 29-17 with 7:55 remaining in the third quarter.
- Robert Jackson, North Little Rock, quarterback: Two touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown. Threw scoring passes of 51 yards to Reeves and 56 yards to Devin Harris, and scored on a 5-yard run. Also completed a fourth-and-seven pass to Harris to extend the opening second-half touchdown drive.
- Wilder Lherisse, Springdale, running back: Over 140 rushing yards and one touchdown. His 85-yard scoring run came on Springdale’s first offensive play after halftime and brought the Bulldogs within 22-17 following the extra point.
- Orion Leautu, Springdale, wide receiver: Three receptions for 103 yards and one touchdown, including the 60-yard opening score. Also completed a pass to Hart on the possession that produced Springdale’s field goal before halftime.