By Don Abernathy (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Stockton junior Logan Reser admits hard work isn’t glamorous, but he proved Friday night that the end result can be.
The Tigers’ running back racked up 184 yards rushing and scored four total touchdowns as Stockton rolled to a 34-7 win over Central at Harrison Stadium on Friday.
“That’s a result of getting after it every day in practice and it comes through in games,” Reser said. “Practice sucks sometimes, but the games are worth it.”
Reser broke a scoreless tie late in the first quarter with a 40-yard run that started off right guard and finished at the right sideline pylon for a 6-0 lead.
On Stockton’s next possession, Reser once again got loose for a long run, this time a 67-yard touchdown that he bounced outside for a 14-0 lead with 10:33 left before halftime.
“I have to give a big thanks to my O-line,” Reser said. “I couldn’t have done it without them. Especially the blockers on the outside.
“They think they don’t play an important role, but they really do play a huge role for us.”
Late in the second quarter, Central put together a 14-play, 83-yard drive that ended on a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore Zay Bousquet on 4th-and-goal.
“I know Central has struggled this year, but they have some good, athletic players,” Stockton head coach Luke Rader said. “I didn’t think we tackled very well in the first half, but we did a better job of it in the second half.
“Obviously, getting a stop and going down and scoring early in the third quarter really helped us.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Central received the second half kickoff, but fumbled the ball away on the sixth play of the third quarter.
Stockton took over and controlled the ball for the next seven minutes, scoring on a 3-yard run by senior quarterback Easton Hubbard. Hubbard’s run capped a 15-play, 58-yard drive, and gave Stockton a 20-7 lead with 1:54 left in the third quarter.
“Our O-line has been dominant,” Hubbard said. “We have dominated almost everybody we’ve played, so our running game is definitely a strength of ours. The big guys have put in a lot of work.”
The Tigers used a bit of razzle dazzle to score their fourth touchdown of the game, when Hubbard connected with senior receiver Preston Rains for a short pass. Rains then lateralled the ball to Reser, who took the ball the rest of the way for a touchdown and a commanding 28-7 lead at the 9:53 mark of the fourth quarter.
“We tried it once before, but this is the first time it’s worked,” Reser said. “When I caught it, I saw one guy in front of me and I saw the goal line and he wasn’t going to stop me.”
Hubbard had 58 yards rushing on 16 carries and a score, and was 5-for-9 with 102 yards passing in the victory.
“It’s been a big focus for us all through the off season of running the football, and I thought we did a pretty good job of that tonight,” Rader said. “Logan stepped in (for senior Jack Rickman) and did a really good job running the ball.
“It speaks to the fact that Logan was ready. None of us are surprised by that, but it’s always good to see.”
Bousquet led Central with 92 yards rushing and a touchdown. Junior quarterback Josh Jensen was 7-for-16 passing for 104 yards in the loss.
The Tigers improved to 4-1 overall and Central fell to 0-5.
