BENTONVILLE — BENTONVILLE — Bentonville Gold held on for dear life Thursday night by coming up with a few key defensive stops in Tiger Stadium.
The biggest stop came near the end of the game with Logan Darby preserved his team's lead with a game-ending interception.
Central defeated Washington in the eighth-grade game, 14-6.
Gold (5-1, 4-1 NWA Conference) got the victory after Chase Hunter made a 20-yard field goal midway through the third quarter.
"Our defense played great and I give the credit to those guys," Gold coach Toma Whorton said. "It wasn't pretty, but in the end, our guys made the plays we had to make. We gave up a few big plays, but we also dug back in and put a great performance together."
Central, which only got into the red zone one time, had a missed field goal in the second quarter. The Warriors (4-2, 3-2) got their two points in the fourth when Gold had a punt snap go into the back of the end zone.
Central's Tyler Blackston had the best night on offense, getting 17 carries for 162 yards.
"There were a few plays where we couldn't stop them," Whorton said. "They do a lot of things very well, but I was proud how we kept the game close and held on for the victory."
Hunter rushed for 62 yards and also completed 6 of 9 passes for 83 yards.
Gold will play at Springdale Southwest next week, while Central will play at Fayetteville Ramay.
— NATHAN ALLEN
Central 0 0 0 2 — 2
Gold 0 0 3 0 — 3
Third Quarter
Gold — FG Hunter 20, 4:18.
Fourth Quarter
Cent — Safety, 7:59.