One Title Leads To Another For Fayetteville

Players hoist the 7A football state championship trophy Saturday, after Fayetteville High repeated as state champions at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Fayetteville beat Bentonville High School, 31-20.

Players hoist the 7A football state championship trophy Saturday, after Fayetteville High repeated as state champions at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Fayetteville beat Bentonville High School, 31-20.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

— The preseason No. 1-ranked team in Arkansas high school football ended back on top.

2012 Schedule

Fayetteville Bulldogs

Date Opponent Result

Aug. 30 Memphis University School L, 20-42

Sept. 7 at Jefferson City, Mo. L, 39-49

Sept. 14 Muskogee, Okla. W, 55-14

Sept. 21 Van Buren* W, 27-13

Sept. 28 at Springdale* W, 27-11

Oct. 5 Rogers Heritage* W, 52-21

Oct. 12 at Rogers* W, 29-0

Oct. 19 Siloam Springs* W, 41-7

Oct. 26 Springdale Har-Ber* W, 38-21

Nov. 2 at Bentonville* L, 17-24

Nov. 16 Conway W, 38-17

Nov. 23 at North Little Rock W, 30-28

Dec. 1 Bentonville W, 31-20

  • denotes 7A/6A-West Conference game

denotes playoff game

The path Fayetteville took to get there wasn’t easy, but it was typical Purple Bulldogs.

Fayetteville endured an 0-2 start in nonconference, several key injuries throughout the first half of the season and a Week 10 loss to rival Bentonville in a showdown for the 7A/6A-West Conference title along the way.

None of it prevented the Purple’Dogs from the ultimate goal, which was to defend its title as Class 7A state champions.

And that’s exactly what Fayetteville did, defeating Bentonville in the finals for a second year in a row, although this championship win was not a shocker like the previous season.

“It was different,” said Daryl Patton, Fayetteville coach. “Last year in 2011, I don’t think anybody outside us here in Fayetteville in this lockerroom thought we could win a championship.

“This year we had huge expectations. Our schedule was a lot tougher, but it seemed like right off the bat we had some key guys that we couldn’t get healthy. And after we started 0-2, I’m sure there were a lot of people that jumped off the bandwagon and thought we were going to lay a big egg. But I’m proud of our coaches and our players. They came to work and said don’t worry about the nonconference, and we kept getting better.”

The shock of Fayetteville’s state title in 2011 turned into nothing short of the ultimate goal this fall. At times, that goal seemed in doubt as the Purple’Dogs faced adversity from all angles. But nothing — injuries, big games, tough schedule, rivals, repeating pressure — could eventually stand in Fayetteville’s way.

“We started out 0-2, and that was tough to swallow at first because we had high expectations coming into the year,” said Austin Allen, senior quarterback. “But going along through the season, we kept going into practice with excitement and all that, and we just kept pushing. And coming out with a state championship is everything we wanted and more.

“So it was awesome.”

Allen and his senior teammates will go down as the winningest class in school history, compiling a 32-9 record in three years with three straight appearances in the state finals and back-to-back titles.

Winning one last year was a bit unexpected, but Patton believes it was that experience that laid the groundwork for back-to-back magic.

“This year we were just a veteran team,” Patton said. “In the last three years, we’re 10-1 in the playoffs. There’s nothing this team hadn’t seen, and that’s what we talked about. Being picked to lose, we’ve done it. Win on the road, we’ve done it. Win as a favorite, we’ve been there too. And do something nobody thought anyone could do by beating Bentonville in 2011. So losing those first two games didn’t faze them, and going into the playoffs in the fourth quarter at North Little Rock with 30 seconds left, our kids didn’t panic.

“And against Bentonville the other night, our kids never wavered, never panicked. They believed in the plan and found a way to get the job done.”