Bentonville’s football team enters conference play with a losing record for the first time since Barry Lunney’s first year at the school, when the use of an ineligible player for three plays resulted in the forfeit of a win over Huntsville in 2005.
One can point to a stiff nonconference schedule as the reason the Tigers will take on Springdale Har-Ber with a 1-2 mark Friday night, but Lunney is encouraged about what he has seen from his team the last three weeks.
“We feel like that there are advantages to playing really good football teams early,” Lunney said. “I’m not going to apologize for trying to schedule up. After what I saw Friday night, I love it. I really do.
“After getting over the disappointment that we didn’t win the game for our kids, I thoroughly loved the battle. I enjoy the competition. Our kids, they got out there and fought the whole game, tooth and nail, and I think we got better.”
It could also be the first game in which Bentonville is close to having everybody healthy, particulary on offense. Junior tailback Dylan Smith missed the games against Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst and Broken Arrow, Okla., with a high ankle sprain, and senior receiver Jimmie Jackson was out of action last week against Euless (Texas) Trinity with a strained hamstring.
“It’s a new season,” Lunney said. “It’s true we haven’t been full strength, but that’s football. You just take the kids that are there and play.
“Hopefully, we’ll get Jimmie back this week and have a chance for him to play on a limited basis. We’ll just see.”
ROGERS HERITAGE
War Eagles Still Workinng To Eliminate Mental Errors
ROGERS — Rogers Heritage enjoyed a big second half to surge past Harrison a week ago to improve to 2-1, but the War Eagles still had several mental mistakes on defense which led to big plays by the opposition.
Heritage football coach Perry Escalante said again coaches focused on eliminating those miscues early in the week during practice. Harrison quarterback Brock Humphrey threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns
“It’s frustrating, I know we had them third and forever a couple of times Friday and they converted,” Escalante said. “Right now I don’t have an answer. But every time we have a mental error we get stung.”
“We’ve got to get consistent. Every three or four plays we have a guy in the secondary misaligned. I told the defensive coaches we’ve got to make it simple, simple, simple. We addressed it pretty strenuously on Monday and Tuesday. We looked at it, looked at it and looked at it and other than just playing straight up man all the time we can’t make it any simpler. And we can’t do that.”
Senior linebacker Forrest Ward the War Eagles defense with 17 tackles (13 solos) against Harrison, while senior defensive back Daniel Spickes junior defensive end Colllin Gorman added 10 each. Ward leads the team with 35 tackles for the season.
The War Eagles will also be without senior receiver Zach Paquet this week because of a consussion. He has three catches for 33 yards this season. He will likely be replaced by senior Logan Gall, who suffered a broken collarbone back in May and was out the entire summer.
Paquet is expected to return in time for next week’s game at Springdale Har-Ber, Escalante said.
— PAUL BOYD w@nwapaulb
ROGERS HIGH
Wary Questionable For Rogers
ROGERS — Rogers High free safety Zack Wary’s status for Friday’s game at Springdale High is questionable after the senior was injured early in last week’s 30-28 victory against Fort Smith Northside.
Wary injured a ankle while making a tackle and had an MRI done Tuesday. The results should be known today, but he is currently wearing a protective boot.
“If he can play he will, if he can’t, he won’t,” Rogers coach Shawn Flannigan said. “We just don’t know if it is just a sprain, or a break. The injury is in a weird spot, hopefully he will heal up and be ready to go. He just didn’t run his feet through a tackle and his weight got compressed down into his ankle. It just got folded over.”
Wary’s injury has also left a void at punter. Backup punter and defensive back Alec Wanasek is also nursing an injury and that has left sophomore Kyle Eason as the Mounties punter.
Eason averaged 37.2 yards on five punts, including a long of 42 yards against Northside.
“Kyle Eason did a fantastic job,” Flannigan said. “Kyle handled everything in stride. The last punt of the game pins them deep, which ends up leading to the (game-winning) safety.”
Flannigan also said that it is doubtful that offensive lineman Josue Oscoy will return anytime soon after suffering a knee injury in the Mounties win against Tahlequah, Okla. the second week of the season.
“Doing what we do, it will be tough for him to get back with that sort of ligament strength,” Flannigan said. “He is going to rehab instead of doing surgery. We will see where that ends up later on.”
— PAUL NIELSEN w @NWAPAUL
FAYETTEVILLE
Injuries Take Toll on Purple’Dogs
Fayetteville had to deal with injuries to several starters last week, and will again be dealing the injury bug this week as it prepares to begin 7A/6A-West Conference play.
Senior tailback Brayden Cook sprained his knee on his final carry of last week’s 27-22 win at Muskogee, Okla. Cook, who has rushed for 390 yards in three games, has been ruled out for Friday’s game.
“It’s an injury he’s had before,” Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. “We’re hoping he’ll be back for the Springdale game. Brayden is a tough kid and he’ll bounce back.”
Senior receiver/cornerback Jordan Dennis missed last week’s game after suffering a concussion in the Jefferson City game. He is listed as day-to-day. The Bulldogs will also be without senior linebacker Carson Baker for the remainder of the season after he tore his anterier cruciate ligament in the win at Muskogee.
Both tight end C.J. O’Grady and quarterback Mitch Marshall were limited in practice the week of the Muskogee game, but Patton indicated both players are closer to 100 percent this week.
Fayetteville defeated Van Buren 27-13 last season at Harmon Stadium.
“They look like a much improved team to me,” Patton said. “They’ve hired Darrell Henry as their defensive coordinator and Darrell is aggressive by nature with his defense. “I think they’re coming in fairly healthy and we’re coming in banged up, so I expect it to be a great game that will go down to the fourth quarter.”
— VERNON TARVER w @nwavernon
SILOAM SPRINGS
Panthers can’t let up
SILOAM SPRINGS — Siloam Springs (1-1-1) is coming off its first win in more than a year after beating Gravette 24-14 last week at Glenn W. Black Stadium.
The Panthers led that game 24-0 before a poor second half against the Lions allowed Gravette to get back in the game.
Siloam Springs only had 71 yards of offense in the second half and just 229 total for the game.
“You can’t ease up. You can’t take a play off,” Ross said. “I don’t think the kids did it consciously, but sometimes it’s a subconscious thing.”
Ross was reminded of the 2010 game at Harrison when the Panthers scored two quick touchdowns on the Goblins to go up 14-0, let up and ended up losing 31-21.
“That certainly came back to bite us,” Ross said. “In this game, with the people that we play, you can’t afford to let up at all.”
Siloam Springs senior wide receiver Chandler Gregory leads the conference with 24 receptions for 277 yards (11.5 yards per catch).
Sophomore running back Rickey Hughes has run for more than 100 yards in each of the last two ballgames. He’s carried 47 times for 281 yards, averaging nearly 6 yards per carry.
Junior quarterback Chris Lampton has completed 54 of 94 passes for 571 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions.
Senior Colton Philpott had two interceptions against Gravette while junior Parker Baldwin had one. The Panthers already have four interceptions on the season after only totaling one all of last year.
— Graham Thomas w @NWAGraham
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER
Top Players Return For Har-Ber
Springdale Har-Ber will have two of its best players back for the start of 7A/6A-West Conference action.
That’s good new for the Wildcats (2-1), who play Friday at Bentonville (1-2), the defending conference champion. Quarterback Kyle Pianalto will make his first appearance since he injured his elbow on the first series against Columbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge. Tailback Sain Mathew will return after he gained more than 200 yards in the first half against the Bruins. He then missed most of the second half with an injured shoulder.
Both seniors missed last week’s game, when their backups led Har-Ber to a 35-27 victory over Fort Smith Southside. Sophomore Luke Hannon rushed for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns while junior quarterback Caleb Daniels threw for 161 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Rebels.
“Sain is an electric runner and Kyle is a senior quarterback who battles on every play,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. “So, we’re happy to have those two back but it’s also good to know we’ve got other kids we can count on when they’re needed.”
Bentonville and Har-Ber have both played tough nonconference schedules.
“Bentonville’s record is deceiving because of the schedule they’ve played,” Wood said. “They look to me like another championship type team with all the talent they have.”
— RICK FIRES w @nwarick
SPRINGDALE HIGH
Bulldogs D gearing up for challenge
Bixby threw the ball 57 times in its 45-38 win over Springdale last week.
This week, the Bulldogs defense will face a Rogers High team that has attempted just seven passes while running its option attack in its first three games.
“They’re obviously two completely polar opposites of each other,” Springdale coach Shane Patrick said. “It’s as big a gap as there could be. And it’s also a total different mindset of being able to play those guys. Both teams do a really good job at what they do and they’re just totally opposites of each other.”
Springdale (2-1) lost despite forcing six Bixby turnovers.
The defense played well in the first half, but gave up more than 350 yards after halftime as the Spartans scored the last 28 points of the game in the final 12 minutes, 5 seconds to rally from a 31-7 deficit for the win.
“We watched the film Saturday morning and put it to bed,” Patrick said. “We went through our mistakes and talked about it. They know where our downfalls are and where the good parts were. And we’re going to try to build on that.”
Stopping Rogers will be a challenge in the 7A-West opener.
The Mounties (3-0) average 383.7 rushing yards per game and have five players with more than 100 yards this season, led by senior fullback Preston Young’s 266 yards and three touchdowns.
Rogers beat Springdale 47-42 last season in a game that was tied at 35 at halftime.
Junior free safety Zach Burton will miss the Rogers game with a concusssion suffered against Bixby, Patrick said. Senior right guard Edwin Espinoza is doubtful after spraining his knee against Bixby, while right tackle Jose Ambriz was injured in practice Tuesday. Middle linebacker Neal Parsons wore a sling after an injury Friday, but was cleared to practice Tuesday and is expected to play Friday.
— Jimmy Carter w @NWAJimmy