BENTONVILLE — Bentonville’s spring football game just wasn’t meant to take place, no matter what the Tigers tried.
The anticipated two-hour scrimmage Monday at Tiger Stadium — originally slated for Friday but pushed back because of Bentonville’s girls soccer team playing in the Class 7A State Championship — was supposed to suffice as the ninth of the Tigers’ 10 practices in pads. Instead, it turned into just a few plays run inside the Tiger Athletic Complex before severe storms halted everything.
“We watched the events over the afternoon, and we were hopeful to get this in,” Bentonville coach Barry Lunney said. “We wanted to have it for the kids and the parents. Some things are just more important than this.”
Lightning was detected moments before the 6 p.m. scheduled start, which caused an initial delay. Lunney even tried to make the most of the situation by moving everything inside the Tiger Athletic Complex after a 30-minute wait.
However, only 16 plays were run before a tornado warning was issued for Benton County, and players were told to get dressed and leave. It will still count as a practice, despite the limited action.
“It counts, once you start,” Lunney said. “You may go two minutes or two hours, but once the clock starts, it’s a practice. So this is practice number nine.
“More than likely, we’re probably done. We’ve had a very physical spring as it was, and we weren’t going to do a whole lot with our first couple of groups. We were going to get our sophomores a little bit of work. We’ll watch what film we have and be done.”
The first unit saw only six plays, but rising senior Jared Conover made the most of his limited play. The defensive lineman was in the right location when quarterback Jake Slocum attempted a screen pass under heavy pressure, and Conover intercepted the pass and returned it 12 yards for a touchdown.
The second-team offense had a much better result against its defensive counterparts, mainly on the ground. Rising junior Kahlil Gunn had a 14-yard run for a first down, and Hekili Keliiliki bulled his way for first downs on two occasions before play was immediately stopped.
“A lot of what I’ve seen from the last two or three times we’ve put the ball down and done a little scrimmage work, I’ve been pleased with the development of the offensive line and the defensive front,” Lunney said. “Time and time again, we’re seeing four or five players on the defensive line step up and make plays.
“I’m excited about our speed up front, and all that’s without Javier Carbonell out there. I’m excited about the progress there, and also on the offensive line. The linemen on both sides of the football, that’s where you have to start and I’m excited about the progress we’ve made in the spring.”
Bentonville’s football team will get a little time off before its team camp, which takes place June 6-7 at Tiger Stadium.