Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/898336
16 PREP RALLY PLAYOFF: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2017 T R E E S E R V I C E PR A I R I E GR O V E 4 7 9 - 6 0 1 - 5 5 9 1 4 7 9 - 8 4 6 - 43 3 3 WALTER WOODIE Special to the NWA Democrat-Gazette FORT SMITH – At various times during Fort Smith Southside football games at Jim Rowland Stadium, the scoreboard will flash statistics of the current game. Jeff Williams, the Mavericks football coach, admits catching a glimpse of the running stats at times during the games. e numbers he saw posted for his quarterback on Oct. 20 at the end of the first quarter against Little Rock Catholic caught him totally off guard. "I looked up and saw a stat that said he had 300 yards passing in the first quarter," Williams said. "My first thought was 'that can't be right.' At halime we saw the numbers and said 'Man, we threw the ball a lot.'" His quarterback, junior Taye Gatewood, finished the quarter 8 of 13 passing for 306 yards and three touchdowns as the Mavs led the Rockets 27-13. Gatewood (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) had 453 passing yards by halime before finishing with a school-record 558 yards and six touchdowns in a 53-29 win. In his first season as starting quarterback, Gatewood has proven to be an effective dual-threat quarterback and the catalyst for the Mavericks' high- octane offensive attack. He has thrown for 2,630 yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing for 653 yards and 16 touchdowns. He will lead the Mavericks into the 7A playoffs at 7 p.m. today at Fayetteville. "If you look at his statistics, they are off the charts at what he has done," Williams said. "People asked if he can play on the next level and I believe he can. He can run and throw the ball. Right now, he has a lot of weapons to throw to." With running backs like junior Ricardo Savoy (518 yards, 1 touchdown) and senior Brenden Ulrich (272 yards, 2 touchdowns) along with junior receivers like Tyrese Solomon (60 catches, 1,071 yards, 10 touchdowns) and Jordyn Jackson (28 catches, 711 yards, 8 touchdowns), it's easy to see why the Mavericks (3-7) are averaging 31.7 points per game. "We put five eligible receivers out there and all have made catches. He is always going to throw to the open guy," Williams said. "Tyrese and Jordan have gotten the large share of passes thrown to them, we've hand 4-5 other guys to have a lot of catches. We've spread the ball around all year. One opposing coach said that we have had more explosive plays than anyone in Class 7A and I agree with that." is year's Maverick offense has been all about the big play. In the Catholic game, for example, Southside had 14 plays of 15 or more yards. "It seems like every week we have explosive pass plays or running plays," Williams said. "We've focused in on that. Last year, we did not have those explosive plays. It all starts with Taye's ability to run and pass. When you describe a great player, the key ingredient is whether or not he makes players around him better. His teammates are better because he is around them." QB Gatewood lights up the scoreboard AT A GLANCE TAYE GATEWOOD SCHOOL Fort Smith Southside CLASS Junior HEIGHT 5-10 WEIGHT 200 POSITION Quarterback NOTABLE Passed for 2,630 yards with 22 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions on 159-263 passing (60.5 percent) … rushed for 653 yards on 131 carries (4.98 yards per carry) and 16 touchdowns. … Threw for a school record 558 yards and six touchdowns in a 53-29 win over LR Catholic on Oct. 20. … Started as a running back as a sophomore before playing quarterback against Northside in 2016 … Two-year starter. FS Southside Mavericks (3-7) DATE OPPONENT RESULT Sept. 1 ....................... Springdale Har-Ber ............. L 48-35 Sept. 8 ....................... at Greenwood ...................... L 49-0 Sept. 15 .................... Rogers Heritage ................... W 50-17 Sept. 22 .................... at Conway* ............................ L 54-47 (OT) Sept. 29 .................... at Cabot* ................................ L 43-41 Oct. 6 ......................... North Little Rock* ............... L 49-7 Oct. 13 ...................... at Bryant* ............................... L 30-19 Oct. 20 ...................... LR Catholic*........................... W 53-29 Oct. 27 ...................... at LR Central* ........................ W 52-21 Nov. 3 ........................ FS Northside* ....................... L 35-13 Nov. 10 .......................at Fayetteville ........................ 7pm * — Denotes 7A-Central game Fort Smith Southside star leads Mavericks to playoffs CLASS 7A Member FDIC O N L Y I N A R K A N S A S At First Security, local is a way of life. We're proud to support students, families and fans in our community and all across the state. Go team!