Moves Pay Off For Lunney, Patton

STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER -- Fayetteville senior quarterback Austin Allen drops back to pass against Bentonville during the first half on Friday, Nov. 2, 2012, at Tiger Stadium in Bentonville.
STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER -- Fayetteville senior quarterback Austin Allen drops back to pass against Bentonville during the first half on Friday, Nov. 2, 2012, at Tiger Stadium in Bentonville.

Daryl Patton and Barry Lunney weren't afraid of stepping out of their comfort zone years ago, and it has certainly paid off for the two veteran football coaches.

For the third straight season, the two will lead their teams onto the field at Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium on Saturday for the state championship game in the state's largest classification.

AT A GLANCE

THAT FIGURE

9 - consecutive wins by Bentonville in November

11 - field goals by Fayetteville kicker Ryan Starr

17 - points allowed by Bentonville in the fourth quarter this season

464 - points scored by Bentonville this season

Seven years ago, Lunney decided to leave Fort Smith Southside and take the head coaching job at Bentonville.

It was an extremely difficult decision to make, but it was one I knew was right through prayer and soul searching, Lunney said. That was home, I had family and friends there that I went to high school win. Certainly it was difficult.

Lunney grew up in Fort Smith, played defensive back on the 1968 Northside state championship team, and quarterbacked the Grizzlies his senior season under legendary coach Bill Stancil. His dad, John, coached at Fort Smith Saint Annes, a private school that closed in 1973.

7A/6A-WEST CONFERENCE STATISTICAL LEADERS

TEAM OFFENSE

TEAM RUSH PASS TOTAL AVG/GM

Rogers Heritage 1840 2400 4240 385.5

Fayetteville 1166 3394 4560 380.0

Bentonvillle 2373 1948 4321 360.1

Springdale Har-Ber 2271 2024 4295 357.9

Van Buren 1529 1903 3432 343.2

Rogers High 3520 225 3745 340.5

Springdale High 2238 945 3183 318.3

Siloam Springs 1254 2220 3474 315.8

TEAM DEFENSE

TEAM RUSH PASS TOTAL AVG/GM

Bentonville 1338 1022 2360 196.7

Fayetteville 1639 1633 3272 272.7

Springdale Har-Ber 1801 1563 3364 280.3

Springdale High 1589 1869 3458 345.8

Rogers High 2061 1920 3981 361.9

Rogers Heritage 2011 2195 4206 382.4

Siloam Springs 2454 1953 4407 400.6

Van Buren 2367 1820 4187 418.7

OFFENSIVE SCORING

TEAM RUSH PASS DEF SPEC TOTAL

Bentonville 36 24 3 1 64

Fayetteville 23 29 3 0 55

Rogers Heritage 25 26 2 1 54

Rogers High 44 2 0 1 47

Springdale Har-Ber 19 28 0 0 47

Van Buren 18 19 2 0 39

Springdale High 26 8 1 2 37

Siloam Springs 20 15 0 0 35

DEFENSIVE SCORING

TEAM RUSH PASS DEF SPEC TOTAL

Bentonville 6 3 2 1 12

Springdale Har-Ber 16 13 2 0 31

Fayetteville 17 14 1 2 34

Springdale High 20 21 0 0 41

Rogers High 25 23 1 1 50

Rogers Heritage 28 21 0 1 50

Van Buren 38 17 0 0 55

Siloam Springs 37 26 5 1 69

TURNOVER RATIO

TEAM TAKEAWAYS GIVEAWAYS TOTAL

Bentonville 35 8 +27

Fayetteville 31 17 +14

Rogers Heritage 29 23 +6

Rogers High 10 9 +1

Springdale High 17 23 -6

Van Buren 16 22 -6

Siloam Springs 17 27 -10

Springdale Har-Ber 11 23 -12

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

PASSING

PLAYER, SCHOOL PC PA INT YDS TD

Austin Allen, Fayetteville 209 334 5 3367 29

Josh Qualls, Rogers Heritage 162 297 10 2371 27

Kyle Pianalto, Springdale Har-Ber 125 213 8 1882 26

Reese Dollins, Bentonville 132 184 5 1873 23

Austin Van Poucke, Siloam Springs 134 250 16 1846 13

Jacob Eason, Van Buren 155 274 12 1712 15

Will Whatley, Springdale 75 145 10 945 8

Lampton, Siloam Springs 34 78 4 374 2

Nick Wary, Rogers High 9 24 1 209 2

RUSHING

PLAYER, SCHOOL ATT YDS TD

Tearris Wallace, Bentonville 276 1712 22

Deandre Murray, Springdale 189 1421 17

Tucker Lee, Springdale Har-Ber 211 1321 10

Brandon Gates, Rogers Heritage 211 1251 14

Nick Wary, Rogers High 143 1120 22

Jacob Eason, Van Buren 178 816 11

Scout Alexander, Siloam Springs 160 798 10

Ty Galyean, Rogers High 93 768 8

Will Whatley, Springdale 115 490 3

Austin Van Poucke, Siloam Springs 115 432 9

Braydon Cook, Fayetteville 99 425 6

Preston Young, Rogers High 74 400 5

Dylan Smith, Bentonville 66 399 5

Deverick Fimple, Van Buren 84 358 2

Kyle Pianalto, Springdale Har-Ber 88 356 6

Brandon Workman, Rogers High 30 315 3

Brice Gahagans, Fayetteville 69 305 4

Jacquille Franklin, Van Buren 62 303 4

Stokes Wenzler, Rogers High 24 256 1

Forrest Johnson, Rogers Heritage 36 243 3

Austin Allen, Fayetteville 85 147 9

Garrett Kaufman, Bentonville 21 120 2

RECEIVING

PLAYER, SCHOOL NO YDS TD

Forrest Johnson, Rogers Heritage 72 1396 15

Jordan Dennis, Fayetteville 62 974 10

Cole Harris, Fayetteville 61 1175 6

Chandler Gregory, Siloam Springs 45 631 6

Bradley Eversole, Van Buren 45 463 3

Nick Byrne, Springdale Har-Ber 44 715 10

Scout Alexander, Siloam Springs 36 616 2

Bronson Tucker, Siloam Springs 34 472 4

William Walton, Van Buren 34 382 5

Wayce Connor, Van Buren 32 530 4

Trey Perkins, Bentonville 30 544 6

Gus Vitt, Springdale Har-Ber 29 464 8

Carlos Hernandez, Rogers Heritage 24 385 3

Wyatt Whatley, Springdale 24 309 2

Cody Scroggins, Bentonville 22 253 4

Jeremy Spickes, Rogers Heritage 22 236 5

Brice Gahagans, Fayetteville 21 262 1

Chadd Holmes, Fayetteville 18 275 3

Matt Garrison, Springdale Har-Ber 18 239 3

Jimmie Jackson, Bentonville 17 246 1

Jack Kraus, Bentonville 17 214 3

Edwin Magana, Siloam Springs 17 145 1

Brandon Gates, Rogers Heritage 17 86 2

Garrett Tallman, Springdale 16 236 3

Jordan Herring, Siloam Springs 16 199 0

Jacquille Franklin, Van Buren 16 169 2

Anthony Gibbons, Van Buren 14 85 1

I knew I had to go on, and it was one chapter in my life, Lunney said. I didn't totally understand everything, but I knew for a couple of years that it was time to get out of coaching or go find another challenge.

In 16 years at Southside, Lunney won 136 games and four state championships with his oldest son, Barry Jr., quarterbacking the Rebels to the 1991 state title and his youngest son, Daniel, guiding the Rebels to the 1997 state championship. Both were selected as the Associated Press Super Team quarterback, including Daniel twice. Barry Jr. is Bentonville's offensive coordinator.

I certain I could have stayed there and finished my career, but there were some things that I knew I needed to do, Lunney said. This gave me an opportunity to work with my son (Barry Jr.), which I would not have had there. It is still a great part of my enjoyment to be able to work with him, but there were a lot of factors.

While Southside's tradition is among the best in the state, Bentonville's football success was spotty at best. At Beebe, where Lunney coached for two years before taking over at Southside, and at Southside, Lunney inherited programs already on solid ground.

I had been at Beebe where Coach (Mickey) Billingsley was used to winning, Lunney said. Then I got to Southside and Coach (Bob) Gatling had been winning. I was just able to keep those things going. Going to a program that had some difficulties and getting them used to winning, I really wondered if we could get it done.

Bentonville won the state title in 2001 under Gary Wear, but the Tigers won just eight games over the next three seasons. Bentonville also had just two 10-win seasons in school history to that point with the 2001 team winning 12 games and the 1965 team winning 10.

Quite frankly, it scared me a little bit, Lunney said. That was the thing I realized when I got here. At Southside, we had become used to winning and the kids knew how to win. Coming here, they had gone through some difficult times. They were struggling. Getting the mindset changed and used to winning more than anything was a great challenge.

That's an intangible. Kids will usually do what you ask them to do in the weight room and those things. Learning to win is a hard intangible we battled when we first came here.

In just eight years, Lunney has become the winningest coach in school history with a 77-18 mark and has the Tigers knocking on the door of their third state title in the past five years.

In 2003, Patton decided to leave his home as well when he took the coaching job at Fayetteville.

Patton was head coach for five years at Bryant, where he quarterbacked the Hornets for three years and was selected to the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star game in 1985. Ironically, it was Fayetteville that ended Patton's prep career with a 41-15 win against Bryant in the first round of the playoffs in 1985.

It was very difficult, Patton said. Bryant was where I had played ball and where I had coached. I had a comfort zone. I knew everybody and probably had great job security.

Patton, though, didn't feel like he had a chance to take the program at Bryant to a championship level, so he checked on the open job at Fayetteville. Patton gave his alma mater another chance before he decided to leave.

At that time, I didn't feel like the administration was giving us everything they could have to win a championship, Patton said. I met with Bryant's superintendent and I asked for three things: One, we needed an indoor facility and fieldhouse. We had over 100 kids and had lockers for 55 to 60 kids. Two, I asked for raises for our assistant coaches because we were at the very bottom for pay for what at the time was 5A. And three, I was a P.E. teacher and when they hired a high school basketball coach, they asked me to move to the middle school and teach history. The basketball coach was certified in P.E. I told them I would, but didn't want to long term. So when they started building a middle school off campus, I asked if I could move back to the high school.

They said no, no and no, so that made my decision pretty easy.

What he received at Fayetteville was completely different than at Bryant.

Dick Johnson, the athletic director, and (superintendent) Dr. Bobby New, I did my research and knew their history, Patton said. Talking to them, they said they would give us everything we needed and to just ask. I made a comment about needing turf, and they got turf. I knew they would support me and the program. I could go on and on, but

the main thing was just the support.

The main thing Patton battled was getting kids back out to play football.

I had gone back and looked at the 2002 team and there was a lot of talent returning from that team, Patton said. I took the job and went through the junior high yearbook and the roster and saw there were a lot of kids not playing. We started going door to door and talking to the kids to get them back out. Before the season started, we were back up to 120. That was a huge part of our success was just getting the numbers up.

Patton, too, has become the all-time winningest head coach at Fayetteville with a 84-35-2 mark.

BACK AGAIN?

For the seventh straight season, it's an all-West championship game in the state's largest classification.

For the third straight season, Bentonville and Fayetteville will play for the championship.

Neither head coach is shying away from playing each other for the sixth time in the past three years.

If I have to get used to it, I like to see it in the last game of the year, Lunney said. At least we're there. We're tickled to death. It's another outstanding Fayetteville team.

They begin the year as the top-ranked teams in the state. According to the Associated Press statewide ranking, Fayetteville began the year No. 1 before losing its non-conference opener against Memphis (Tenn.) University, 42-20. Bentonville ascended to the top spot after that and has held that it since.

RUBBER GAME

Bentonville culminated a perfect 13-0 season in 2010 with a 49-28 win against Fayetteville in the championship game.

Fayetteville converted a two-point conversion last year in the state championship game to beat Bentonville, 29-28.

Saturday's game amounts to a rubber game of a three-year series for the two teams.

I love it, Patton said. They're a great football team, have a great program and are very well coached. Those guys are 37-1 over the last three years with a championship and a runner-up. We're 31-9 over the last three years with a championship and a runner-up. So after Saturday night, somebody is going to have the claim that they have the best program over the last three years.

One senior class will definitely be able to hoist a second championship trophy during their career.

Again, if Bentonville beats us then there's no doubt over the last three years they're the cream of the crop with the best program around with two titles, Patton said. If we beat them, who's to say we're not? It's the rubber match and we're looking forward to playing them.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Bentonville and Fayetteville special teams have been just that this season special.

Punters Tearris Wallace of Bentonville and Austin Allen of Fayetteville have been stellar.

Wallace has punted 24 times for an average of 38.4 yards. Allen has punted 32 times for an average of 36.4 yards.

I've heard that one out of every five snaps in a high school football game is some form of the kicking game, Lunney said. It's always big. It's huge part of the game. You figure that in and it's very important. You have to be good there. I can't think of a team that had a successful campaign that didn't have a good kicking game.

Bentonville kicker Dillon Wade is 53 of 55 on extra-point attempts and has booted 5-of-6 field goal tries this season for 68 points.

Fayetteville kicker Ryan Starr is 43 of 46 on extra-point tries, and has converted 11-of-12 field goal attempts for 76 points.

Starr kicked three field goals in Fayetteville's 30-28 win against North Little Rock on Friday, including a game-winning 37-yard field goal with seven seconds left.

That was a big-time kick with a lot of pressure, Patton said. There were bottles flying from the stands almost hitting him. He had to have a lot of concentration and mental toughness.

Junior Jack Armstong is Fayetteville's deep snapper, and Allen does the holding.

Jack had a great snap, and Austin did a great job holding, Patton said. Any time you kick the game-winner, it takes more than just the kicker. It takes total execution.

Junior Mikey Smith is Bentonville's deep snapper, and Trey Perkins does the holding.

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