FAYETTEVILLE — Van Buren had no intentions of being a pushover in its first game back in the 7A/6A-West Conference.
The Pointers, playing in the 7A/6A-West for the first time since 2007, gave Fayetteville all it could handle Friday by playing keep away on offense and surprising the Bulldogs with a defense up to the challenge.
Despite Van Buren’s ability to stand up the challenge, Fayetteville finally woke up in the second half and pulled out a 27-13 win at Harmon Stadium.
“The credit goes to (coach) Brooks (Coatney) and his staff,” Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. “Van Buren had a great game plan for us, and they came ready to play. It was more about what they did than what we didn’t do.”
Fayetteville 27, Van Buren 13
Why The Bulldogs Won
Fayetteville forced two turnovers on Van Buren’s first two possessions, then pitched a shutout in the second half. The Bulldogs struggled at times on offense, but got enough from quarterback Austin Allen and running back Brayden Cook to get the job done.
Why the Pointers lost
Van Buren moved the ball well offensively, but didn’t make the most of its opportunities. Two interceptions in the red zone and a missed field goal were costly, and an inability to slow down Fayetteville’s running game in the second half prevented any late comeback.
The Pointers (1-3, 0-1 7A/6A-West) used their read-option run game to frustrate Fayetteville’s defense. Van Buren ate up most of the clock with quarterback Jacob Eason running for 119 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries.
While Van Buren was able to drive the ball down the field on many occasions, getting the ball into the end zone was a problem.
Fayetteville (2-2, 1-0) came away with two interceptions on Van Buren’s first two possessions. Then in the second half, despite the Pointers’ ability to move the ball into Bulldogs territory, the Pointers scored no points.
“We moved the ball, we converted on third down and we made plays when we needed to,” Van Buren coach Brooks Coatney said. “But when you’re playing teams that are maybe more athletic than you, that red zone gets a little smaller and you can’t miss by much.
“And I feel bad because I feel like our defense did a great job. Had we put it in the end zone, that could have given our defense a boost and I feel like we could have taken it down to the wire.”
The Bulldogs never trailed, but never had a comfortable lead until Austin Allen hit Jace Rapert with a 35-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute, 10 seconds left in the third quarter to make the score 24-13.
Ryan Starr then added his second field goal with 4:17 left to give Fayetteville a 27-13 cushion.
“We told our kids at halftime, we’re not into style-point victories or anything like that,” Patton said. “We just told them to eliminate mistakes and to go out there and to play as hard as we can.
“And to go out there and shut them out in the second half, we’re proud of our players and glad to get the win.”