“Our coaches have been preaching to us that if all 11 players work together, we’ll get the job done, and I think we finally did that (Friday).”

Not only was Springdale’s (3-4, 1-3 7A-West Conference) passing game on target, but its running game had one of its best performances of the year, combining for 218 yards on 50 carries.

“(Friday) things finally went our way a little bit, we made some things happen and we didn’t turn the ball over,” Springdale High interim coach Dennis DeBusk said. “The defense got us the turnovers and we took advantage of it and scored, where before we hadn’t been doing that.”

Springdale’s defense forced Northside (2-5, 0-4) into four turnovers, including three fumbles that crippled the Grizzlies chances of putting points on the board.

Northside, which finished with only 79 rushing yards, had good production from quarterback Tanner Knight, who completed 25 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in the fourth quarter.

Knight’s first touchdown pass went for 33 yards to Tevin Williams and his second was for seven yards to Shaquille Jones.

Before Northside knew what happened, it was already down 20-0 with 11 minutes left in the first half, something coach Darrell Henry said was too tough to overcome.

“I don’t know if we have voodoo on us or what, but turning the ball over had killed us in the last five weeks,” Henry said. “We came out in the second half and moved the football and we do everything right. I’m really proud of the kids of how they fought back.”

Springdale’s T.C. Barkey not only caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Calcagni in the first quarter, but finished with a team-high 74 rushing yards while Calcagni had 63 rushing yards.

“(This win) is something these kids have been looking forward to and have been trying to get,” DeBusk said. “All it does is it gives us another week, we have to get ready for Rogers Heritage now. Every game we have left will be a war, but if we come out and play like we did (Friday), we’ll have a shot.”

SPRINGDALE HIGH 34, FS NORTHSIDE 21

Northside    0    7    0    14    —    21
Springdale    13    14    7    0    —    34
First Quarter
Spring — Bocchino 13 pass from Calcagni (Garcia kick), 8:04
Spring — Barkey 17 pass from Calcagni (run failed), :49
Second Quarter
Spring — Calcagni 10 run (Garcia kick), 11:18
North — D. Jones 5 run (Martinez kick), 9:00
Spring — Johnson 21 pass from Calcagni (Garcia kick), 5:41
Third Quarter
Spring — Robinson 10 pass from Calcagni (Garcia kick), 8:05
Fourth Quarter
North — Williams 33 pass from Knight (Martinez kick), 11:38
North — S. Jones 7 pass from Knight (Martinez kick), 2:28

North    Spring
First Downs    17    22
Rushes-Yards    15-79    50-218
Passing Yards    203    157
Comp-Att-Int    25-38-1    14-20-0
Punts    3-29.7    5-32.2
Fumbles-Lost        3-3    0-0
Penalties-Yards    3-30    14-120

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Northside, Knight 9-51, Poole 2-20, D. Jones 4-8. Springdale, Barkey 13-74, Calcagni 13-63, Yager 12-39, Taylor 11-35, Johnson 1-7.
PASSING—Northside, Knight 25-38-1-203. Springdale, Calcagni 14-20-0-157.
RECEIVING—Northside, Poole 7-56, Williams 6-82, S. Jones 6-33, D. Jones 4-16, Shephard 2-14. Springdale, Bocchino 4-41, Fogg 3-41, Barkey 3-38, Johnson 2-26, Robinson 2-11.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

SPRINGDALE — Joseph Calcagni has never used inexperience as a crutch.

No matter the situation or the game, the Springdale High first-year quarterback has tried to stay calm and slow down the game. And although there have been a few bumps along the way, Calcagni has been pleasantly surprised by what he’s been able to accomplish so far.

Through six games this season, the junior has made steady progress as one of the top quarterbacks in the 7A-West Conference, with 105 completions for 1,531 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“Coming into the season, there were a lot of questions with myself,” Calcagni said. “I knew being inexperienced could hinder how well I played, but I just tried to never think about that. The more I dwelled on something like that, then the more I’d start making mistakes, and I didn’t want that to happen.”

Calcagni began to fine-tune his playing skills in the spring, when he was still competing for the quarterback position. He constantly worked on his footwork, his throwing accuracy, understanding defenses and anything else he felt would give him an edge.

During the summer, Calcagni said playing in some 7-on-7 tournaments also helped in establishing some self-confidence and experience of playing varsity-level football.

“I think with me, it was all about getting as many reps as possible,” said Calcagni, who didn’t find out he’d be Springdale’s starting quarterback until just before practices started in August. “I just wanted the experience. The more I got, the better I felt about everything.”

Springdale quarterbacks coach Zak Clark, a former Arkansas quarterback, said Calcagni’s biggest improvements have been his ability to adapt in certain situations.

“Physically, he’s got all the tools. He can make any throw we ask him to make,” Clark said. “He moves well in the pocket, and he continues to get better and better with his composure. He’s also improved with his game management, how he handles himself and how he handles the team.”

Against Fayetteville more than two weeks ago, Calcagni had his best game of the season, completing 28 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns. Despite the impressive performance, however, Calcagni said it’s not his statistics that keep him motivated, but how many wins Springdale has.

“I’m happy with how I’ve played, but at the same time, it’s now showing up in our win column,” Calcagni said. “That’s the part I care about. I want this team to win, and so far, we haven’t been able to do much of that.

“That’s my biggest concern right now, helping this team find a way to win more games.”

Profile

JOSEPH CALCAGNI

• School: Springdale High
• Height: 6-foot-1
• Weight: 183 pounds
• Position: Quarterback
• Class: Junior
• Notable: Calcagni comes from a bloodline full of quarterbacks, including his father, Mark, and uncle, Ron, who both played at Arkansas. Ron was Arkansas’ quarterback from 1975-78 and went 25-4-2, making him the winningest quarterback in Razorback history. Joseph’s older brother, Patrick, is also a former quarterback at Springdale Har-Ber.

Again Friday night, it wasn’t only Southside’s running game that did the trick, it was its overpowering defense, as well.

Besides holding Springdale (2-4, 0-3) to only 34 rushing yards, 12 first downs and having three interceptions, including one for a touchdown in the third quarter, Southside also ran for 182 yards on 42 carries — mostly because of two impressive games from senior David Adair and junior Lee Hollis.

Southside also had good production (22 rushing yards, 68 passing yards) from backup quarterback Austin Nolan, who replaced junior starter Hunter Whorton in the second half.

Southside coach Jeff Williams wouldn’t comment about Whorton, who suffered an apparent shoulder injury before halftime.

“(Adair and Hollis) both did a great job,” Williams said. “Springdale did a good job of stopping our running game, but we made plays when we had to make plays.”

Springdale junior quarterback Joseph Calcagni kept the Red’Dogs in the game when he threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Blake Fogg with about three minutes left in the fourth quarter. Calcagni finished with 11 completed passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns while Fogg caught five passes for 172 yards.

Springdale interim coach Dennis DeBusk said the Bulldogs are extremely close to winning their first conference game, and that it’s just going to take one or two more plays to get it done.

“Offensively, we didn’t click quite as well because we dropped a few passes, but overall, I can’t ask for a better effort from our group of kids,” DeBusk said. “We’re right there, we can’t hang our heads. We’ve got four games left, we can win any of the four ballgames, I’m stating that fact right now. Whether we win or not, I don’t know, but teams better be ready to play Springdale.”

FS SOUTHSIDE 20, SPRINGDALE HIGH 17

Southside    0    3    14    3    —    20
Springdale    7    0    3    7    —    17
First Quarter
Spring — Robinson 11 pass from Calcagni (Garcia kick), 5:27
Second Quarter
South — FG Gallo 23, :05
Third Quarter
South — Falleur 49 pass from Nolan (Gallo kick), 10:02
South — Beeler 35 interception return (Gallo kick), 3:54
Spring — FG Garcia 24, 2:19
Fourth Quarter
Spring — Fogg 80 pass from Calcagni (Garcia kick), 3:09
South — FG Gallo 41, :00

South    Spring
First Downs    18    12
Rushes-Yards    46-182    19-34
Passing Yards    180    224
Comp-Att-Int    10-17-0    11-30-3
Punts    4-27.8    4-37.5
Fumbles-Lost        4-1    0-0
Penalties-Yards    9-74    3-24

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Southside, Hollis 11-87, Adair 22-74, Nolan 10-22, Whorton 3-(minus 1). Springdale, Yager 9-33, Barkey 3-17, Johnson 2-7, Fogg 1-2, Taylor 1-(minus 2), TEAM 1-(minus 7), Calcagni 2-(minus 16).
PASSING—Southside, Whorton 6-11-0-112, Nolan 4-6-0-68. Springdale, Calcagni 11-30-3-224.
RECEIVING—Southside, Falleur 6-91, McGee 3-70, Hollis 1-19. Springdale, Fogg 5-172, Barkey 3-26, Yager 2-15, Robinson 1-11.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—Southside, Gallo 38, 35.

SPRINGDALE — Kevin Johnson was resting at home last Friday afternoon when he heard the news.

A school bus carrying high school football players had overturned in Fayetteville.

It never occured to Johnson the players were his own.

“At first, I’d heard it was a Fayetteville bus,” Johnson said. “I just wanted to find out what had happened, so when I called Dennis (Springdale High interim coach Dennis DeBusk), he picked up and said, ‘Everybody is OK, nobody was injured. We’re all doing just fine.’

“That’s when I was like, ‘Oh man, it was one of our busses.”

Although nobody was seriously injured, the bus accident forced last week’s Springdale High-Fayetteville annual rivalry game to be postponed until Saturday afternoon.

The news of the accident, although a total shock at first, really didn’t surprise Johnson after he thought about it a little longer.

It’s been that kind of year for the Springdale Bulldogs.

So far this season, Springdale’s coaches and players have had more than their share of off-the-field distractions, making this year one of the toughest anyone can remember.

The year started on a tough note when Johnson announced in August he was taking a leave of absence to deal with some health issues. After a battery of medical tests and a couple of surgeries, it was determined last week that Johnson, 45, needed to take an indefinite leave of absence to treat his recently diagnosed lung and colon cancer.

That was just the beginning.

• A sophomore player was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance Wednesday morning after suffering a minor throat injury during practice. He is expected to return to practice on Monday.

• A key varsity player was recently suspended from school for a violation of district policy.

• A Springdale cheerleader was seriously injured before last week’s game against Fayetteville, when she fell from the shoulders of another cheerleader while holding the pregame run-through sign for the Bulldogs. The cheerleader’s injury caused the game to be delayed about 15 minutes while she was put on a stretcher and taken away in an ambulance.

Then the week ended on a downer when the Red Bulldogs lost to Fayetteville 50-49 on a two-point conversion play at the end of regulation.

“I’ve been coaching for a long time, and I’ve never been involved in anything like this,” DeBusk said. “It’s been a heck of a ride so far, but we’re handling it the best way we know how.

“I’ve always heard that breaks even out over a period of time, so one of these days — it may not be this week, it may not be next week or even this year, but somewhere, this team is going to be owed a bunch of breaks.”

A Little Consistency

For all the off-the-field madness that’s affected the Bulldogs this season, there’s been at least some consistency on the field.

Although Johnson formally left the team in early August to tend to his health issues, his staff quickly moved to guide the program into the season without skipping a beat.

Besides DeBusk, who’s been an assistant at Springdale for more than 12 years, offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz and defensive coordinator Jeff Jones have provided the needed guidance and leadership for the players. Springdale’s other coaches — quarterbacks coach Zac Clark, defensive line coach Ronnie Waid, receivers coach Moe Henry, secondary coach David McGinnis and linebackers coach Craig Bentley — have all contributed greatly in keeping Springdale’s players focused on the field.

With both coordinators, nothing has changed in Johnson’s absence. Both Drinkwitz and Jones call their own plays during games and use other assistants to relay any needed information to players.

“Despite Kevin being gone, there hasn’t been a big affect on anything that happens during games,” said Drinkwitz, who’s been an assistant at Springdale since 2007. “Our players haven’t had much of a transition there, and that’s been really important. They’ve needed as much consistency as possible with everything that’s happened this year.”

Last season, the coaching setup was different. Johnson wasn’t just the team’s head coach, but the defensive coordinator, meaning he called all the defensive plays during the game.

However, during the offseason, Springdale hired Jones away from Lonoke in March to coach the defense, giving Johnson more of an overseeing role.

“There’s no doubt, it’s been a blessing that I didn’t get sick last year,” Johnson said. “It would have been quite a disaster if that would have happened last year. But with Jeff being here this season, our defensive guys have worked well with him.

“Considering everything that’s happened this season, I think it’s fair to say our players have needed as much consistency as possible.”

Accepting Adversity

Springdale junior quarterback Joseph Calcagni and senior receiver Justin Bocchino have learned a lot about themselves this season. And they’ve had to grow up quite a bit in the process.

The same can be said for all of Springdale’s players and coaches.

Whether it was learning about Johnson and all of his medical battles or dealing with other off-the-field issues, both Calcagni and Bocchino said learning to overcome adversity has been a theme for the Bulldogs this year.

“From day one, we told ourselves that we had nowhere to go or hide, we had to take whatever happened to us head on and deal with it,” Calcagni said. “We’ve all grown up a lot this year, I can promise you that.”

Bocchino admitted that last weekend was one of the weirdest he’s experienced in his life, including being on the bus that was involved in the accident. Nevertheless, Bocchino said he’s already learned things this year that he’ll carry with him for the rest of his life.

“I think we’ve all realized that sports isn’t everything, it’s really just a game,” Bocchino said. “With coach Johnson, it’s been tough, but we’ve all stuck close together and we’re supporting him and he’s supporting us right back.

“We’ve overcome a lot already this season, so right now, we feel like whatever gets thrown our way, it won’t be any problem.”

Jones said watching the players continually stay focused every week, despite everything that’s happened, has been a credit to their character and positive attitudes.

“These kids are so resilient, it’s been amazing to watch them come together,” Jones said. “This is a family, we spend so much time together, and when something happens to one of us, it happens to all of us. We’ve all learned so much about ourselves, and we’ve all told ourselves that with adversity comes great opportunity.

“If we can keep that mindset, there’s no telling where this team could end up at the end of the season.”

Welch, who’s totaled 476 yards on 97 carries in four games this season, had 12 straight carries in the first quarter, setting the tone for Har-Ber’s offensive game plan.

“We want to run the football, our offensive line is just a bunch of hogs in there,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. “Gordon ran really, really hard. He had a bunch of carries, we tried to get Kaleb Vaughn in there to get a couple of totes, but the second half, that’s who we were. We ran the ball and took a couple of shots deep.”

The Wildcats, who had 362 yards of total offense, struck first in the first quarter with a 17-yard field goal from Oscar Escobar and never looked back.

After Springdale had a field goal of its own just before the end of the first half, Har-Ber had 19 unanswered points in the second half, including a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Luther to Jordan Nicholson and a 9-yard touchdown run from Welch.

Springdale’s offense (2-2, 0-1) stalled on its first three possessions in the first half and never found a rhythm in the second. In the second half, Calcagni completed 8 of 17 passes.

“(Har-Ber) is very good, and we knew that going in,” Springdale interim coach Dennis DeBusk said. “They played outstanding, like they’ve been doing all year. We didn’t perform like I thought we could. Defensively, we did a good job, but when you have a defense like (Har-Ber) has, it can really hurt an offense.”

7A-West Conference

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 29, SPRINGDALE HIGH 3

Har-Ber    3    7    14    5    —    29
Springdale    0    3    0    0    —    3
First Quarter
Har — FG Escobar 17, 1:43
Second Quarter
Har — Welch 1 run (Escobar kick), 6:55
Spring — FG Garcia 22, :10
Third Quarter
Har — Nicholson 35 pass from Luther (Escobar kick), 6:44
Har — Welch 9 run (Escobar kick), 4:19
Fourth Quarter
Har — Safety, 8:06
Har — FG Garcia 37, 2:16

Har    Spring
First Downs    20    10
Rushes-Yards    49-274    17-(minus 5)
Passing Yards    138    142
Comp-Att-Int    7-13-2    14-29-1
Punts    1-43.0    5-40.2
Fumbles-Lost        1-0    0-0
Penalties-Yards    6-40    2-15

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Har-Ber, Welch 40-186, Vaughn 7-76, Sayarinh 2-12. Springdale, Yager 9-17, Dennis 1-7, Barkey 1-(minus 2), Calcagni 6-(minus 27).
PASSING—Har-Ber, Luther 7-13-2-138. Springdale, Calcagni 14-29-1-142.
RECEIVING—Har-Ber, McKinney 4-79, Vaughn 2-24, Nicholson 1-35. Springdale, Barkey 4-34, Bocchino 3-55, Fogg 2-23, Yager 2-13, Harris 1-8, Weir 1-5, Robinson 1-4.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

SPRINGDALE — Nothing will change tonight when Springdale Har-Ber opens its conference schedule against crosstown rival Springdale High.

Both teams have been here before and know exactly what’s at stake.

“It’s a two-fold deal because we’re both trying to get our first conference victory, but we’re trying to win the rivalry game,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. “There’s a lot of respect among both teams, it’s always a big game.”

The Wildcats (3-0) are coming off three straight wins, including a season-opening 35-0 victory against Greenwood. In only three games, Har-Ber has given up a combined 40 points and 104 rushing yards, making its defense the best in the conference statistically.

Meanwhile, Springdale High (2-1) beat Alma 41-0 last week in an emotionally driven game for coach Kevin Johnson, who returned to the sideline after battling some health issues throughout the last two months.

“Our kids are confident, especially after winning the way we did last week,” Springdale interim coach Dennis DeBusk said. “We know we’re going to have to play well against Har-Ber to have a chance.”

Wood said one of his biggest concerns in tonight’s game is Springdale’s offense, which ranks second best in the conference with a combined 1,261 yards. Most of those yards can be attributed to junior quarterback Joseph Calcagni, who has completed 52 passes for 823 yards and seven touchdowns.

“Our defense is going to get its biggest test of the season,” Wood said. “We’re going to have to play smart and not give up the big play, which is always possible when playing Springdale.”

Har-Ber’s offense has been just as effective with junior running back Gordon Welch, who’s totaled 290 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 57 carries. Senior receiver Josh McKinney has also caught 16 passes for 335 yards and five touchdowns.

“This is a game that all the kids look forward to,” DeBusk said. “This is the game they’ll all remember because of the rivalry. As a coach, it doesn’t take a lot for us to get them motivated, simply because both teams want to beat each other for bragging rights.”

Today’s Ticket

Springdale Har-Ber at Springdale High
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.
ON THE AIR: KTPV-FM 96.9
HOOTEN’S LINE: Har-Ber by 9.
RECORDS: Har-Ber is 3-0; Springdale is 2-1.
SERIES: Har-Ber leads 2-1 (with two straight wins).
HOOTEN’S RANKINGS: Har-Ber is No. 1 in Class 7A; Springdale is No. 11.

SPRINGDALE — Coming off an impressive victory against Alma last week, Springdale High is hoping it can continue playing well Friday night against crosstown rival Springdale Har-Ber.

Against Alma, the Bulldogs totaled 453 yards of total offense, mostly with several on-target passes from junior quarterback Joseph Calcagni and running back Tyler Yager.

“Our confidence level is fine, we certainly feel better about ourselves after last week,” Springdale High interim coach Dennis DeBusk said. “Playing Har-Ber is a big game, they’re a talented ballclub, it’s going to be a tough game.”

DeBusk said Springdale’s (2-1) players have practiced particularly well this week, especially keeping in mind that they’re not only playing their crosstown rivals, but their first 7A-West Conference opponent.

“On Saturday morning, there will be four teams tied for first and four tied for last,” DeBusk said. “We want to be one of the teams tied for first. To do that, we have to limit our mistakes and execute on both sides of the ball.”

DeBusk also said senior Justin Bocchino, who had a right-ankle sprain last week, should be ready to play against the Wildcats.

SPRINGDALE — Springdale High not only played for its fans Friday night, it played for Kevin Johnson.

In his first game back this season since taking a temporary leave of absence on Aug. 13 to address some health issues, Johnson was back on the sideline on Friday, only to watch the Bulldogs’ home-opener against Alma.

What Johnson got from the Bulldogs was an emotionally driven 41-0 blowout victory over the Airedales in their last nonconference game of the year.

Before the game started, Springdale High ran onto the field through a banner that read, “This Is For You Coach Johnson.” Even several students in Springdale’s student section held supportive signs for Springdale’s fourth-year coach, who had two surgeries last month that removed a small spot of melanoma from one of his lungs and another questionable spot from his colon.

“It was something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” said Johnson, who didn’t do any coaching during the game. “Just to be out here on the sideline, enjoying the atmosphere and watching the kids play — it’s something you don’t realize how much you miss it until it’s taken away from you.”

The Bulldogs gave Johnson an impressive show, as they racked up 453 yards of total offense, including 299 passing yards and two touchdown passes from junior Joseph Calcagni.

Springdale’s (2-1) defense was equally as dominant, posting its first shutout since 2007. Springdale held the Airedales (0-2-1) to only seven first downs and 120 yards of total offense.

“Coming into (Friday), we’ve had a lot of ifs concerning our defense,” Springdale defensive coordinator Jeff Jones said. “We haven’t played very consistent; we’ve had our moments, but we haven’t put a game together. Our guys really responded well, it was a total team effort.”

After Springdale scored on the second play of the game, a 49-yard touchdown pass from Calcagni to senior Blake Fogg, things only got worse for the Airedales.

Alma only had two first downs in the first half and didn’t managed to get the ball into Springdale territory until its second possession of the third quarter.

“(Springdale’s) first touchdown took the wind out of our sail,” Alma coach Todd Dilbeck said. “It was an emotional game with coach Johnson being back. You could tell (Springdale’s players) were battling for him. They really wanted to win that game.”

The Bulldogs had touchdown runs from senior Tyler Yager and Rahmon Taylor before sophomore quarterback Evan Johnson, Kevin’s son, engineered his first drive in the fourth quarter and capped it off with a 1-yard touchdown run.

“That was really special,” Kevin said. “Anytime you get to see your son score a touchdown, that’s really special.”

Springdale interim coach Dennis DeBusk said Springdale’s players were all thinking about Johnson Friday night and desperately wanted to win for him.

“I’m sure it motivated them, I’m not sure how much,” DeBusk said. “They’re glad to see him, we love him to death. We’re glad he was here, that he could be here and other than a couple of mistakes, we played pretty doggone good for him.”

SPRINGDALE HIGH 41, ALMA 0

Alma    0    0    0    0    —    0
Springdale    7    14    0    21    —    41
First Quarter
Spring — Fogg 49 pass from Calcagni (Garcia kick), 11:20
Second Quarter
Spring — Robinson 4 pass from Calcagni (Garcia kick), 4:30
Spring — Yager 2 run (Garcia kick), :07
Fourth Quarter
Spring — Taylor 5 run (Garcia kick), 11:23
Spring — Johnson 1 run (Garcia kick), 6:20
Spring — Shorter 16 blocked punt return (kick failed), 3:18

Alma    Spring
First Downs    7    22
Rushes-Yards    24-62    35-154
Passing Yards    58    299
Comp-Att-Int    5-14-0    21-31-0
Punts    5-35.4    1-18.0
Fumbles-Lost        2-0    1-0
Penalties-Yards    3-23    10-80

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Alma, Tabor 10-33, Broadfoot 9-25, Lewis 2-12, Jackson 1-4, Workman 2-(minus 12). Springdale High, Yager 14-76, Taylor 6-42, Johnson 8-41, Bocchino 2-(minus 1), Barkey 2-(minus 2), Calcagni 3-(minus 7).
PASSING—Alma, Broadfoot 5-14-0-58. Springdale High, Calcagni 21-30-0-299, Dennis 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING—Alma, Jackson 4-38, McCourt 1-20. Springdale High, Dennis 8-82, Fogg 5-93, Barkey 5-89, Bocchino 2-31, Robinson 1-4.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

The dominating tone was set on the game’s first play, as Devon Moore broke loose for a 28-yard gain. That jump-started a nine-play, 80-yard drive, capped on a 1-yard run by Jared Johnson with 9 minutes, 5 seconds left in the first quarter.

The first of five PATs by Reece Roedel made it 7-0.

On the Jays’ next possession, Kody Walker raced 54 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0.

At that point, the turnover woes started for the Bulldogs.

Springdale survived a lost fumble and forced a punt, before Roedel intercepted a Joseph Calcagni pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter. The pass for two failed, leaving it 20-0.

“We were swarming on defense tonight,” Jefferson City coach Ted LePage said. “Everything that moved, it looked like we were trying to get to them and get to them with a purpose.”

After a Bulldogs punt, the Jays went 51 yards in seven plays to make it 27-0. Quarterback Sam Turner finished off the march on a 9-yard run.

The Bulldogs survived another lost fumble when the Jays fumbled it back. But Jefferson City’s Christian Cummings promptly returned an interception 16 yards for a touchdown to make it 34-0 with 7:11 left in the first half.

“Jeff City looked very good, they are very good,” DeBusk said. “They’re very talented and they wore us out. I really thought we’d compete better against them, but they stepped up and shut us down.”

On the final play of the first half, which saw the Jays outgain the Bulldogs 312-96, Roedel’s 25-yard field goal bumped the margin to 37-0.

In the third quarter, Roedel booted a 29-yard field goal, before Turner tossed a 7-yard scoring pass to C.J. Vaughan on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 47-0.

The Bulldogs’ three late scores came on a 15-yard run by Tyler Yager, a 7-yard run by TC Barkley, and a 17-yard pass from Calcagni to Justin Bocchino. Dalton Goodwin kicked all three PATs.

In his first career start, Calcagni completed 16-of-30 passes for 221 yards, but was intercepted four times, as the Bulldogs finished with 297 total yards.

“We didn’t lay down and the scores were against their JV,” DeBusk said. “I appreciate coach LePage for that and we took advantage of it. Maybe that’s something we can grow off of.

“People do say you improve the most between your first game and your second game. If that’s the case, I hope we improve.”

Walker gained 151 yards on 15 carries while Turner rushed for 103 yards on 12 attempts.

See the Team Info page for roster, schedule, team photo and more…

SPRINGDALE — TC Barkey didn’t get to play as much as he would have liked a year ago, but that doesn’t bother the senior running back.

Barkey, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 181 pounds, knew coming into his senior season that he’d have several chances to not only make a name for himself, but help the Springdale High Bulldogs be successful on Friday nights.

“I did get to play a little (my junior year) and that does help a little,” Barkey said. “I can already tell I’m not as nervous as I would have been last year. I can also say my confidence level has really been raised high.”

Barkey, who describes his running style as a “trucker,” isn’t afraid of smashmouth football. Throughout the spring and summer months, Barkey constantly lifted weights and worked on his ball-handling skills to make sure he’d be ready to go when the season arrived.

“TC is such a smart player, a guy that really took over the leadership role of this offense,” said Dennis Debusk, Springdale’s running backs coach. “He’s not only a good runner, but his hands are great. If we need him to catch a pass out of the backfield, he’s capable of doing that. If we need him to run somebody over, he wants to do it. He’s just a team player in every way, shape and form.”

Barkey said one of his biggest goals this summer was to work with junior quarterback Joseph Calcagni so that the two could create a good relationship of playing well together. The two competed in 7-on-7 tournaments and even worked out together to help build a better friendship, Barkey said.

“I think Joseph has done a great job, he’s really come on well and he’s doing some good things at the quarterback position,” Barkey said. “At first, things weren’t easy, which is the case anytime you have a new quarterback. But I think we’ve worked through the kinks.”

Johnson said he expects Barkey to be one of the better running backs in the 7A-West Conference this season, simply because of his willingness to run every play. Whether during practices or other team drills, Johnson said Barkey is always willing to put in the extra work to make sure goals of the team are accomplished.

“That’s the good thing about having a guy like TC,” Johnson said. “He’s a good leader for the younger guys and he knows what he’s doing. I know he hasn’t really had the chance to showcase his skills before, but we’re hoping to give him all the chances he wants this fall. I’m pretty sure people will be impressed with TC Barkey.”

HOW THEY LOOK

On The Ground
The Bulldogs should have plenty of options in running the football this fall with senior running back TC Barkey (5-foot-11, 181 pounds) and sophomore fullback Kempys Robinson (6-2, 228). Both players have certain talents that make them threats with the football in their hands.

Barkey, who saw minimal playing time a year ago, improved his speed and ability to see open spots on the field throughout the offseason to try and make himself a valuable asset to Springdale’s offense. Senior Dylan Marrs (6-2, 240) will also see time at fullback this season, Johnson said.

“TC is a guy we know we can rely on, he’s strong and fast and he’s got good vision,” Johnson said. “We’ve got several guys we’ll rotate in running the ball, so that’s something we feel very positive about.”

Through The Air
Junior quarterback Joseph Calcagni will have the job of replacing Ashton Glaser at quarterback this fall. Glaser, now playing at Missouri, passed for 3,085 yards and 29 touchdowns last fall, easily making him one of the best quarterbacks in the conference.

Calcagni, who comes from a family with a rich history of football players, has improved since the spring, not only with making proper decisions in the pocket, but improving his arm strength and his speed. During the summer, while Springdale competed in several 7-on-7 tournaments, Johnson said Calcagni really matured and made himself a better player.

“Joseph has all the tools necessary,” Johnson said. “He can read defenses, he can run and he can throw the football really well. I know he’s only a junior and still needs to get some experience under his belt, but he’s got the tools to be a very good quarterback in this league.”

On defense, the Red’Dogs will rely heavily on senior Chris Clinard (6-1, 184) at free safety and senior James Shorter (5-7, 145) at cornerback.

In The Trenches
Springdale’s offensive line has four new players who will have to step up and be effective blockers this season, despite some needed experience. The only returning starter on the line is junior Mitchell Smothers (6-3, 260), who’ll play at left tackle. The other newcomers are Trevor Bowen (6-3, 246) at left guard, senior Tiaan Kluever (6-0, 240) at center, junior Tyler Granados (5-9, 251) at right guard and junior Patrick Morse (6-5, 276) at right tackle.

“There are some areas that we’re still working on and one of those is definitely the offensive line,” Johnson said. “Our new guys are doing a good job of adapting. The good thing is we have a lot of size in those guys.”

Defensively, seniors Blake Griffith (6-0, 235) and Dylan Marrs (6-1, 234) will play defensive end while senior Andres Guadarrama (6-0, 232) and junior Michael Wright (6-0, 241) will play noseguard.

Special Teams
The Bulldogs will have to replace graduated senior Carlos Negrette, who handled nearly all the kicking duties for Springdale the last two years.

This year, Johnson said that competition for the position is wide open and that several players will have a chance to do both punting and placekicking. The position, Johnson said, won’t be finalized until the week of the first game.

Intangibles
The biggest strength the Bulldogs have this season is their defense, a group of players that aren’t very big, but have a lot of strength and speed, Johnson said. All of Springdale’s coaches feel good about the offense’s chances of scoring points when it needs to, but they feel even better about its defense getting key stops in key situations. “We’ve got guys on defense that know what we want, know how to make a play,” Johnson said. “That’s the kind of stuff we need. On offense, we’ve got several new faces, so it may take them some time to adjust, but our defense is going to have to keep us in games all season long.”

Overall
Springdale is hopeful it can surprise several teams this season, especially in conference play. Despite the new faces on offense, Johnson believes Springdale’s offense can be just as lethal as it’s been in the last three years. The biggest question for the Bulldogs will center on whether they can stay healthy and if they can win games they’re not picked to win.

Regardless, the Bulldogs are a young team with lots of talent and should make a serious push to win five games with the chance to make the playoffs for the second straight year.

SEASON PREDICTION: 5-6

Beyond The Box Score

Why Springdale Will Win
The Bulldogs have some new faces on both sides of the ball, but feature several players on defense who played last year and will help Springdale be competitive in every game it plays. Junior quarterback Joseph Calcagni comes from a family of quarterbacks and will certainly have a productive season.

Why the Bulldogs Will Struggle
Inexperience can be a tough thing to overcome once the season gets started. All of Springdale’s young players will have to shake off their early-season nerves before conference play starts to give the Bulldogs any chance of making the playoffs.

Crucial Games

Jefferson City, Mo., Sept. 4
This will be a tough test to start the season and give Springdale a good idea of where it stands before heading into the second week of the season.

Springdale Har-Ber, Sept. 25
The Bulldogs haven’t managed to beat the Wildcats in two years, but this year’s group is hopeful it can change that trend.

FS Northside, Oct. 16
If the Bulldogs can beat Northside, it may give them what they need to secure a playoff spot. A loss, however, could also mean gloom and doom to Springdale’s chances.

Off To A Good Start
One of the things Springdale coach Kevin Johnson has preached to his team since fall camp began was getting the season off to a good start. If the Bulldogs could somehow win two or even three victories during nonconference play, Johnson believes it could be the difference in how Springdale does in conference play.

“Getting off to a good start sounds overused, but for us, it’s really going to be a big deal,” Johnson said. “We absolutely need to get things going in the right direction early in the season for us to be successful and have a chance of competing for a conference championship and getting to the playoffs.”

By The Numbers
15 — Combined victories by the Bulldogs in the last three seasons
28 — Passing touchdowns from graduated senior Ashton Glaser
33.2 — Average number of points given up by Bulldogs last season
3,119 — Total passing yards by Springdale High last season

Outside The Lines
Things haven’t been easy for Springdale recently while Johnson was forced to take a temporary leave of absence to focus on some health issues. Johnson had a doctor’s appointment more than a month ago and found out he had a small spot of melanoma on the bottom part of one of his lungs.

Another spot, which was later determined not to be melanoma, was also found in his colon. Johnson, who has a history of melanoma, had surgery Aug. 18 at Washington Regional Medical Center to remove both spots and was forced to spend two weeks in the hospital and at his home to recover.

“Kevin is a strong guy and he needed to get this behind him, so we’ve all just tried to be very supportive for him,” said Dennis Debusk, Springdale’s interim coach. “We’ve tried to keep the kids updated on his status and I also kept Kevin in touch with what was going on in practice. Regardless, we want him to get healthy and to take his time so he can get back to being on the football field.”

At A Glance

Springdale High Bulldogs
Coach: Kevin Johnson, fourth year (38-64 overall, 15-16 at Springdale)
Last Year: 5-6 overall, 3-4 7A-West Conference
Returning Starters: 3 offense, 7 defense
Offense: Spread
Defense: 4-3
Newcomers To Watch: Joseph Calcagni, QB; Mitchell Smothers, OL; Cody Matteri, FS.

Projected Starters

Offense Defense

QB—Joseph Calcagni, Jr. DE— Blake Griffith, Sr.
RB—TC Barkey, Sr. DE—Dylan Marrs, Sr.
FB—Kempys Robinson, Soph. NG—Andres Guadarrama, Sr.
WR—Blake Fogg, Sr. NG—Micheal Wright, Jr.
WR—Justin Bocchino, Sr. MLB—Zach Watkins, Sr.
WR—Tony Dennis, Soph. SLB—Cole Sizemore, Sr.
LT—Mitchell Smothers, Jr. WLB—Brandon Jeffries, Sr.
LG—Trevor Bowen, Jr. CB—James Shorter, Sr.
C—Tiaan Kluever, Sr. CB—Antonio Caldera, Sr.
RG—Tyler Granados, Jr. S—Cody Matteri, Jr.
RT—Patrick Morse, Jr. S—Chris Clinard, Sr.