BENTONVILLE — Garrett Kaufman had attempted only one pass before Friday’s game, and he had to throw that one away when his intended receiver drew double coverage.
Trey Perkins made sure that didn’t happen again.
Bentonville’s senior receiver slipped Fayetteville’s defense and was all by himself near the end zone when he waited for the pass and scored with 11 minutes, 25 seconds remaining.
Gamebreaker
Bentonville 24 Fayetteville 17
Why the Tigers won
Bentonville rallied for 17 unanswered points after Fayetteville took a 17-7 lead on Ryan Starr’s 52-yard field goal. Garrett Kaufman’s 38-yard halfback pass to Trey Perkins provided the go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter.
Why the Bulldogs lost
Austin Allen threw for more yardage than any other quarterback against Bentonvlle’s defense this season, but the Tigers defense withstood the challenge of two fourth-down pass attempts in the final 12 minutes.
That score put the Tigers ahead to stay, and they went on to claim a 24-17 victory over the Bulldogs, and captured their sixth straight conference championship before a loud, capacity crowd at Tiger Stadium.
“We felt like it was time to do it,” Tigers offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. said. “The head coach (Barry Lunney) was telling me to call the play, and I was ready to go ahead and call it. So we were on the same page.”
Bentonville (10-0, 7-0 7A/6A-West Conference) got the break it needed when Brice Gahagans fumbled the ball, and Austin Haggard fell on the it at the Fayetteville 38. Kaufman then took the pitch and headed to his right, then stopped and floated a perfect pass to Perkins.
“They were keying our horn play, which is a big part of our offense,” Bentonville coach Barry Lunney said. “They were flying down hard and making plays two, three, four yards from the line of scrimmage.
“You just can’t let them do that all day. It was one of two plays where we took advantage of their aggressiveness. We were able to execute those plays, and we’re really proud of those guys.”
The other play came midway in the third quarter after Fayetteville (7-3, 6-1) had taken a 17-7 lead. Jordan Dennis returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the second half, then Ryan Starr drilled a 52-yard field goal at the 7:38 mark in the third quarter.
Bentonville had Tearris Wallace run three straight times before Reece Dollins took one of his few deep shots of the game. Perkins was again the receiver, and Dollins hit him in stride for a 68-yard touchdown pass.
Wade added a 28-yard field goal with 3:32 remaining to close out the scoring, then Bentonville’s defense also made two critical fourth-down stops in the final eight minutes. Justin Fair batted down Austin Allen’s pass attempt on a fourth-and-5 at the Tigers 43, then Gavin Shadrick ended Fayetteville’s last possession when he batted down a pass in the end zone with 58 seconds left.
“Right there, if we score, we’re going for two,” Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. “Maybe it’s deja vu, but hat’s off to Bentonville. They’re the conference champions. We can throw this season away and get ready for the playoffs.”
Bentonville and Fayetteville both receive first-round byes for the Class 7A State Playoffs and won’t play again until Nov. 16. Bentonville will host the winner of next week’s game between Rogers Heritage and West Memphis, while Fayetteville hosts the winner of next week’s Bryant-Cabot game.