“I was hoping I wouldn’t trip coming through the tunnel in front of thousands of people watching,” said senior tailback Preston Pianalto.

Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, where childhood dreams, teenage dreams, and lifelong dreams became reality Thursday night when Har-Ber High School played a virtual home game against Lebanon, Missouri.

“It was an unbelievable feeling knowing that so many great athletes have played on the same field in the past,” said senior outside linebacker Luke Hanson.

With senior quarterbacks Jon Vaughn and Austin Mayfield sharing time in the backfield, it was Mayfield that shone bright, despite Vaughn getting the start.

The first few offensive possessions for the Wildcats were a little shaky, as the defense stood stout.  When Mayfield finally entered the game early in the second quarter, following a Vaughn interception that was tipped directly to Lebanon junior cornerback Michael Culp, he led the Wildcats on back-to-back touchdown scoring drives, both to senior wide receiver Michael Fine (14 and 45 yards).

“I was just glad to get the first one out of the way,” said Mayfield.

The feature play of the night was a double reverse converted by Har-Ber that ended in a 45-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield to Fine.   Senior southpaw Evan Johnson was also involved in the play, with him drifting to the left looking to throw, before pitching it back to Mayfield for a perfectly thrown ball over the shoulder to Fine; making the score 14-0.

Pianalto struck again with a 44-yard touchdown rush late in the second quarter to heighten their advantage seven more.

 “The offensive line did a great job of maintaining their blocks and gave me good space to run through,” said Pianalto.

Pianalto finished the day with 102 yards on just nine attempts.  Junior tailback Tucker Lee did get his share of carries as well, ending the night with seven rushes for 48 yards.

“It’s a childhood dream to score in that stadium,” said Pianalto. “It was beyond exciting to score, but even better to win.”

Lebanon had its best chance to score after junior kick returner/defensive back Brock West returned the following kickoff into Har-Ber’s territory.  With little life showing late in the half for the Yellow Jackets, Har-Ber junior free-safety Dalton Clinkscales cut it short by intercepting quarterback Hayden Brackett and taking it back 35 yards before being brought down.

Mayfield then found junior wide receiver Nick Byrne cutting across the middle and weaving his way 44 yards for the score.

After halftime, both offenses mellowed and the defenses paced the game.  Vaughn, the man that started the night, threw a strike of his own to Fine, for 55 yards early in the third quarter to put the sportsmanship rule into effect.

Lebanon did score late on a 36-yard field goal by senior kicker Mitch Mather to end all scoring for the night.

Fine finished the night with 138 yards receiving on just five catches, three of them being for points.  Johnson combined eight touches for 31 receiving yards and nine rushing yards.  Senior wide receiver Blaise Winn also caught one pass for 10 yards.

Mayfield and Vaughn combined for 226 yards, four touchdowns, and a 191.4 passer rating.

“It was an awesome experience for sure [playing at Razorback],” said Mayfield. “Everyone played good, and we showed what we can do for the rest of the season.”