Tigers Work Extra

Starters Take More Reps

Reese Dollins, left, Bentonville’s quarterback, passes the ball to tight end Chase Morse on Friday during the Tigers’ Class 7A playoff game at Tiger Stadium in Bentonville.
Reese Dollins, left, Bentonville’s quarterback, passes the ball to tight end Chase Morse on Friday during the Tigers’ Class 7A playoff game at Tiger Stadium in Bentonville.

— The points may have piled up a little too fast for Bentonville’s football team Friday night.

The Tigers went into the locker room with a 28-0 lead over West Memphis at halftime, but they had run only 16 offensive plays in the first 24 minutes. Bentonville’s three scoring drives consisted of only four, three and five plays.

That’s the main reason why coach Barry Lunney had its starters still on the field during the third quarter as Bentonville went on to post a 42-0 victory in the Class 7A state quarterfinals at Tiger Stadium.

That Figures

2 — Turnovers in West Memphis’ first five offensive plays

16 — Bentonville offensive plays in the first half

28 — Points scored by Bentonville in the first half

“After laying off one week, you have to find a way to get all parts of your game in and the work you need to get in,” Lunney said. “Obviously you want to win — that’s the first priority.

“But as the game progressed and you score a time or two, we’re trying to balance out our run game and our passing game. You want to score and be able to score, but at the same time, we’ve had a week off. We’re trying to get players some reps and get into the flow of the game.”

It wasn’t much more work. Bentonville’s offense had a pair of six-play scoring drives before the reserves played out the remainder of the game.

Play of the Night: Senior defensive back Austin Haggard left many people wondering what was going on when he picked up a fumble and ran 24 yards for Bentonville’s touchdown. West Memphis tailback Kendell Allen was running a sweep to his left, but the ball rolled to the middle of the field and right to the feet of Haggard, who ran uncontested to the end zone.

Injury Update: Senior defensive back Gavin Shadrick had to be carted off the field when he was hurt while covering a punt in the first quarter, and the extent of his injury was unknown. Offensive lineman Zach McBride and inside linebacker Clay Lewis both suffered ankle injuries, and their status is unknown.

Player of the Game: Quarterback Reese Dollins only threw 10 passes Friday, but he made the most of those attempts. He completed nine of them for 170 yards and a season-high four touchdowns, three of those coming in the second quarter as Bentonville built a 28-0 halftime lead.

Notable: Senior inside linebacker Garrett Kaufman had a season-high 19 tackles, including 12 solos and a quarterback sack. He now has 106 and needs five to match the number he had last year. ... Tailback Tearris Wallace had 13 carries for 97 yards and surpassed the 1,500-yard mark this season, but he finished with no touchdowns for the second straight game. A penalty nullified the one time he did cross the goal line in the second quarter. ... Receiver Trey Perkins caught Bentonville’s first three passes and wound up matching his season-high with four receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown.

The Lingo: “It caught me by surprise. We had them held up, and I think Nate Gneiting came in and made the strip. It came right to me, so I picked it up. There was such a big pile, and everybody thought the ball was in there. It was an easy walk for me.”

— Austin Haggard

Bentonville safety on his fumble recovery and 24-yard return for Bentonville’s first touchdown.

Up Next: Bentonville hosts a familiar foe when Fort Smith Southside, a 24-22 winner over Springdale Har-Ber, comes to town for a semifinal showdown. The two were longtime conference foes until this season, when Southside was moved to the 7A/6A-Central, and it was where Lunney coached for 16 years before taking over at Bentonville in 2005.

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