BENTONVILLE GOLD 3, SPRINGDALE CENTRAL 2

— 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.

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