FAYETTEVILLE — Jordan Dennis was determined to have a big hand in the outcome Friday. Dennis, a junior at Fayetteville, had a chance to play against his former team Springdale High for the first time since transferring after his sophomore season.
Safe to say, Dennis got his wish.
Playing both offense and defense for the Purple Bulldogs, Dennis made perhaps the key score of the game for Fayetteville and also contributed with big plays in the secondary in a 27-11 victory at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium.
“Jordan Dennis was an iron man,” said Daryl Patton, Fayetteville coach. “He played offense, defense. The kid was cramping out there, but I’m just so proud of him. He wanted to win this one bad, and to beat your arch rivals, to win four straight over Springdale, to win at Jarrell Williams Stadium, could not be more proud of a group of kids.”
For Dennis, piling up big numbers against his former team wasn’t the main goal. Getting a victory was.
“I just wanted to win,” Dennis said. “I didn’t care about individual stats. I just wanted to get the win, and that’s what we got.”
Play of the Night: Fayetteville got the necessary breathing room against Springdale late in the first half when Dennis made his acrobatic 40-yard touchdown catch. With the Bulldogs leading just 7-6, Dennis tipped a pass from Austin Allen back to himself and brought in a 40-yard touchdown to give the Purple’Dogs a 14-6 lead with 1 minute, 4 seconds left in the second quarter.
Injury Update: Linebacker Brooks Ellis returned for Fayetteville after missing the previous two games with a dislocated kneecap. Tailback Brice Gahagans sat out with an injured knee and could miss an additional two weeks.
Players of the Game: Dennis had five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown and played a significant role on defense in the Fayetteville secondary. Cole Harris also had six catches for 105 yards and a TD.
Notable: Fayetteville’s four-game win streak against Springdale is the longest for the Purple’Dogs in the series since 1963-65 when Fayetteville won three straight over the Red’Dogs... Patton is now 7-3 in his career at Fayetteville against Springdale...
The Lingo: “I felt our running game was there all night. That really opened up the passing game a little bit. We had a few key catches by Blake Power, our sophomore, and then Jordan Dennis had a heck of a game, some great catches. Then Cole Harris’ sliding touchdown catch, that was sweet.”
— AUSTIN ALLEN
Fayetteville quarterback
Up Next: Fayetteville returns home to face Rogers Heritage. The War Eagles (4-1, 1-1 7A/6A-West) suffered their first loss of the season Friday against Springdale Har-Ber.