ROGERS — It wasn’t a fair fight and the final result was a reflection of that.

Fourth-ranked Bentonville took advantage of every Rogers mistake and scored on all six of its first-half possessions on the way to a 48-0 mercy-rule win against the injury-depleted Mountaineers on Friday at Tiger Stadium.

The shutout was Bentonville’s third of the season and the Tigers beat Rogers for the third straight year for the first time in their 111th game against the Mounties.

It’s the most lopsided victory by Bentonville in the Battle of Benton County since a 58-0 win in 1914.

“It’s a pretty big deal,” said quarterback Pearson Gean, who finished 11 of 12 passing for 126 yards with a rushing and passing touchdown - all in the first half.

“It’s pretty exciting for us to be able to do that. It’s always been a pretty big rivalry.”

Rogers, playing without senior quarterback AndyCouture, fell into a hole early against the Tigers.

Sophomore quarterback Andrew Conley was intercepted on the second play of the game by Christian Larimer and he returned the pick 33 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

“Boy that was good to see,” Bentonville head coach Barry Lunney said.

“We’ve been working real hard playing the ball. It showed the coaches’ work paid off this week, paid off really well.”

After a snap over Conley’s head that led to a three-and-out on the next possession, the Tigers (6-1, 3-1) set up shop offensively at their own 33. Gean hit Drew Edwards for a 20-yard pass on third down and five plays later Gean took a quarterback sneak into the end zone.

Larimer picked off Conley again on Rogers’ third possession and the Tigers cashed in for more points with a 3-yard touchdown run by Courtney Haskell. The picks were Larimer’s first ofhis career.

“Coach (Robbie) Jones, he just preached all week that we’ve got to set the tonedefensively, that we really haven’t done that much this season,” Larimer said. “That was sticking in my mind tomake a difference and get this game going on the right foot.”

The Mounties (2-5, 0-4) went three-and-out again but changed field position on the Tigers.

Bentonville’s offense responded with a nine-play, 63-yard drive. Gean hit four of five passes on the drive for 43 yards and Haskell carried in from 7 yards out.

The Tigers scored twice more in the first half. Shane Boedeker’s 42-yard run set up his 5-yard score. Gean completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Austin Griffith for the 41-0 lead.

“They made us look bad,” Rogers coach Ronnie Peacock said. “They did what ever they wanted to. Their receivers were wide open.

We didn’t tackle very well.”

With a running clock in the second half the Tigers turned to junior Raymond Shackelferd and he responded with a game-high 15 carries for 78 yards and another touchdown.

Shackelferd alone had as many rushing yards as Rogers’ total offense.

The Mounties turned to junior Graham Parker late in the first quarter and Rogers did pick up some first downs. The Mounties reached the Bentonville 33-yard line in the second quarter but Jason Oller was stuffed on fourth down to end the drive.

The Tigers finished with 386 yards of total offense.

Boedeker had 69 yards on six carries while Haskell had 45 yards on 11 carries.

About the only negative for Bentonville was the loss of starting tight end/linebacker Hayden Boydston to a possible torn ACL in his right knee on the opening kickoff of the second half and Bentonville leading 41-0.

“I’m just sick about it,” Lunney said. “He was going to be out there one play.

The young man (Spencer Dunlop) that kicks off for (Rogers) kicks it in the end zone about 95 percent of the time. I’m very disappointed for him if it’s as bad as it appears it might be.”

Sports, Pages 9 on 10/21/2009

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