ROGERS — Rogers Heritage and Fort Smith Southside combined for seven turnovers on a muddy field here Friday night at Jim Rowland Stadium as the War Eagles outlasted the Rebels 9-7 in a crucial 7A-West Conference game.

Heritage (7-2, 4-2) inched closer to clinching third place in the conference, while Southside (5-4, 3-3) fell for the third straight week.

The Rebels lost three fumbles and an interception, while the War Eagles lost two fumbles and threw an interception.

Adverse field conditions - a down-right quagmire - hindered both teams’ offenses as Heritagetook the 9-7 lead into halftime.

Both teams missed field goals in the second half, and Heritage botched a quarterback exchange at the Southside 1.

Southside drove its first possession 46 yards for a touchdown and took a 7-0 lead on quarterback Hunter Whorton’s 1-yard sneak.

Heritage quarterback Reed Brown answered two possessions later, pulling Heritage to pull within 7-6 with 53 seconds left in the first quarter.

He threw 25-yards to receiver Grant Driver, who was wide open on the goal line. The touchdown pass capped a 10 play, 80-yard drive, aided by a pass-interferencecall on the Rebels.

With the exception of the scoring pass and the penalty, the drive was completed entirely on the ground with running backs Zac Stewart and Jimmy Britton and Brown carrying the load.

Hayden Severs, who missed the point-after kick wide left, put Heritage up 9-6 with 9:12 left in the half on a 38-yard field goal.

Sam Mayhall intercepted Whorton at the Southside 32 to set up the go-ahead field goal.

Southside was driving for a lead just before halftime on an interception of Brown at the 38, but lost a fumble at the War Eagles’ 24 with 10 seconds left.

Britton went down to a shoulder injury after the War Eagles’ field goal and did not dress out the second half.

Both teams lost three fumbles in the third quarter, including ones on their opening drives. Southside lost one at its 48 and Heritage at Southside’s 1.

Brown connected with Driver for a 45-yard completion over the middle to the 1 after Heritage’s recovery. Driver took in the pass at the 9 and dragged his defender 8 yards through the mud. There, Brown’s quarterback exchange was dropped.

Southside drove from the 1 to the Heritage 16 in 12 plays before coughing up the ball late in thethird quarter.

The Rebels drove their next possession to the Heritage 21, where Leo Gallo came up short on a 38-yard field goal try. The snap was low and hit the ground.

From its 20, Heritage milked the clock before turning it over to Southside at its 20 with less than a minute to play. The War Eagles twice overcame third-and-long situations, once at its 27 when Brown connected with Mac Olinger for a 17-yard pickup.

On fourth down at the Southside 26, Severs was short on a 46-yard field goal attempt.

Heritage hosts Fayetteville (5-3-1, 4-2) for the outright third-place finish next week.

Sports, Pages 7 on 11/04/2009

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