BENTONVILLE — Those outside Bentonville’s football program may only remember the Tigers’ 2012 football season by what happened in their final game.
While the 31-20 loss to Fayetteville in the Class 7A State Championship was a disappointment, there are still plenty of good things coach Barry Lunney and his players can take out of Bentonville’s second consecutive 12-1 season.
“I think the hardest part is looking into the kids’ eyes and not seeing what we had hoped to see — the excitement of winning a championship,” Lunney said. “Having said that, I told our players twice and told our coaches again, I’m not disappointed in them and the way they worked.
“It’s been an absolutely fabulous year on all accounts. I understand the last game is what people want to get to and win it, but at the same time, I’m not going to — by the best of my ability — let the young men in this program and the coaches lose sight of the great accomplishments they had.”
Bentonville knew its early success depended on a more experienced defensive unit, especially when it had new starters on offense. One of those starters — left tackle Trevor Foster — went down early in the 7A/6A-West Conference opener against Springdale Har-Ber and never played again.
The Tigers withstood a challenging nonconference schedule to go 3-0 against Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst, Broken Arrow, Okla., and South Panola, Miss. — all ranked in the RivalsHigh 100 poll during the season. Bentonville then went undefeated through league play for the third straight year and extended its record to six consecutive conference championships.
“I thought if we could play good defensively early and give us time for the offense to mature that by Week 5 or Week 6 we could come into our own offensively and be a good football team,” Lunney said. “My heart said we could win every game.
“But my gut said it was going to be tough. If we could go 2-2 through the first four weeks — with the level of competition we were playing — and be competitive all four weeks, that would probably be what I thought would happen. To get through that stretch the way we did, that’s a tribute to the young men and these coaches that work with them every day.”
The defense — led by all-state selections Garrett Kaufman, John Donald, Chris Mizelle and Nate Gneiting — did its part, holding opponents to an average of slightly more than nine points and 207 yards total offense per game. Tailback Tearris Wallace finished the season with 1,777 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns as the Tigers leaned on a more run-oriented attack, while quarterback Reese Dollins finished with 2,070 yards and 25 touchdowns passing.
Those six players are part of a senior class that finished 37-2 with the Tigers, breaking the previous school record of 35 victories set by last year’s senior class.
“I would put that record against anybody, anywhere, any state,” Lunney said. “You have to stop and pinch yourself and think ‘You’ve got to be kidding — 37-2, playing arguably the toughest conference in the state and playing the toughest competition in the region over the last three years.
“When you look at that, we can’t feel sorry for ourselves. I think it would be arrogance to feel sorry for ourselves. I really do, starting with me. It would be arrogant of me to be pouting around, feeling sorry for ourselves. I think it’s time to pause and reflect on the whole body of work that this senior class has been a part of and this year’s group has been a part of and recognize it for what it is — a truly remarkable year.”
At A Glance
Bentonville Tigers
Date Opponent Result
Aug. 31 Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst W, 24-7
Sept. 7 at Broken Arrow, Okla. W, 20-10
Sept. 14 South Panola (Miss.) W, 41-6
Sept. 21 *at Springdale Har-Ber W, 28-7
Sept. 28 *Siloam Springs W, 56-0
Oct. 5 *at Rogers High W, 35-6
Oct. 12 *Rogers Heritage W, 48-7
Oct. 19 *at Van Buren W, 55-7
Oct. 26 *at Springdale High W, 63-0
Nov. 2 *Fayetteville W, 24-17
Nov. 16 West Memphis W, 42-0
Nov. 23 FS Southside W, 28-21
Dec. 1 Fayetteville W, 31-20
- denotes 7A/6A-West Conference games
denotes playoff games