Bulldogs Pick Their Path To Second Straight Title

Reece Dollins, center, Bentonville quarterback, squeezes in between a hole in Fayetteville’s defense Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
Reece Dollins, center, Bentonville quarterback, squeezes in between a hole in Fayetteville’s defense Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

— The football was for the taking Saturday night, and Jordan Dennis took full advantage of the opportunity.

Gamebreaker

Fayetteville 31, Bentonville 20

Why the Bulldogs won

Jordan Dennis and Cole Harris — Fayetteville’s two top receivers — did it with defense. Both players returned interceptions for touchdowns in the second half.

Why the Tigers lost

Bentonville, which had dominated the turnover battle throughout the season, lost it when it mattered the most. Two costly interceptions turned into Fayetteville touchdowns.

Nobody was around the Fayetteville junior defensive back when he intercepted the third-quarter pass near his team’s sideline then raced 34 yards for a touchdown. It was the second score in a 17-second span for the Purple’Dogs, who went on to claim their second straight Class 7A State Championship from Bentonville with a 31-20 victory over the Tigers at War Memorial Stadium.

CLASS 7A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

FAYETTEVILLE 31, BENTONVILLE 20

Fayetteville 0 7 14 10 — 31

Bentonville 7 0 7 6 — 20

First quarter

Bent — Wallace 2 run (Wade kick), 3:03

Second quarter

Fay — Gahagans 1 run (Starr kick), 4:59

Third quarter

Fay — Allen 12 run (Starr kick), 6:59

Fay — Dennis 42 interception return (Starr kick), 6:42

Bent — Gneiting 7 pass from Dollins (Wade kick), 2:35

Fourth quarter

Fay — FG Starr 23, 10:09

Bent — Jackson 37 pass from Dollins (kick fail),

Fay — Harris 34 interception return (Starr kick), 1:56

“We’re always going to be aggressive and try to make big plays,” Fayetteville defensive coordinator Brian Early said. “I’ve seen people talk about how agressive we are on defense, but that’s what we do.

“We’re going to get in your face and try to cause a nightmare, and we did that.”

Fayetteville (10-3) broke a 7-7 tie on its opening drive of the second half, culminated by Austin Allen’s 12-yard touchdown scramble with 6 minutes, 59 seconds left in the third quarter. Bentonville (12-1) started its following possession with Reese Dollins trying to hit Tearris Wallace with a swing pass out of the backfield.

Dollins, however, threw for the sideline while Wallace headed upfield. Dennis then stepped between the two Bentonville players and picked off the pass and ran uncontested to the end zone. Ryan Starr’s extra point gave Fayetteville a 21-7 lead at the 6:47 mark in the third quarter.

“They had a better play than we did,” Bentonville coach Barry Lunney said. “Reese had a hot read on because the linebacker blitzed. The play was supposed to go to the flat, and they squatted on it.

“It’s a matter of plays, and they had a better defense called than we had a play. That’s what happens in big games.”

Bentonville, which rallied from a 17-7 deficit with 17 unanswered points in the Nov. 2 meeting between the two teams, tried to do it again. Dollins’ 7-yard touchdown pass to Nate Gneiting pulled the Tigers within 21-14 with 2:35 left in the third quarter, then followed Starr’s 23-yard field goal with Dollins’ 37-yard scoring strike to Jimmie Jackson with 8:34 remaining.

The Tigers then had one more chance after Starr missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt, which put the ball on the Bentonville 20 with 3:10 remaining. But a double penalty — a holding call, followed by unsportsmanlike conduct — pushed Bentonville back to its own 9.

Dollins threw two incompletions to force a fourth-down decision, and the Tigers elected to go for it instead of punting the ball with all three timeouts remaining. Cole Harris made Bentonville pay when he intercepted Dollins’ pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown with 1:56 left to play.

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