Junior High Football Notebook

BENTONVILLE — One of the teams in last week’s game between Bentonville Black and Springdale Southwest was going to wash the bitter taste of defeat out of its mouth.

Black (2-2) had lost by a point to Fayetteville Woodland at home the week prior, but rebounded with a 21-14 victory over the winless Cougars to get back to .500.

“Our kids did a great job and we had some kids step up that hadn’t yet this year, like Tyler Pike,” Black coach Chris Hutchens said.

Now the Tigers turn their attention to Fayetteville Ramay, opening up West Division play on the road.

“Ramay is a very solid football team,” Hutchens said. “They’re well-coached and we’ll have our hands full. We need to take care of what we need to take care of Monday through Wednesday and we’ll be okay.”

GEORGE SUFFERS

FIRST LOSS

Springdale George may have endured its fi rst defeat last Thursday, but it’s still off to the best start in the school’s history.

The Wranglers (3-1) head into the inaugural year of division play two games over .500, and head coach Blake Cook pounded that point home to his team after the game last week.

“The next five weeks are what determine our seeding for that championship week,” Cook said. “We’ve got to focus on that and continue to get better now that these nondivisional games are over.”

George tangles with Springdale Central a week after facing a formidable Fayetteville Woodland team.

“Woodland was physical and showed it the first play of the game,” Cook said. “We talked about setting the tempo and they come in the backfield and knock the ball loose and we didn’t really get a chance to.”

GOLD

REMAINS UNBEATEN

Bentonville Gold had a showdown with another team that had yet to experience a loss last week, facing Springdale Central on the road.

The Tigers (4-0) built a 17-0 halftime lead in an eventual 24-15 victory that impressed head coach Toma Whorton.

“We gave great effort and the kids did what they were coached to do,” Whorton said.

Heading into East Division play, Gold will be tested right out of the gate against Fayetteville Woodland.

“They’re a very disciplined football team,” Whorton said. “We’re going to have to play extremely well and pay attention to our assignments in order to beat them. We need a really good week of practice.”

WOODLAND STILL

UNBLEMISHED

Fayetteville Woodland is undefeated going into division play and hasn’t even been at full strength yet.

That should be a warning sign to East Division members, especially after an impressive 25-7 victory over Springdale George last Thursday.

“We’re finally getting everyone back healthy,” Woodland coach Bobby Crockett said. “We’d been playing without our middle linebacker (Brace Collier).”

The Cowboys (4-0) should be relatively injury-free as they travel to Bentonville Gold for a colossal mid-season showdown.

“We’ve had kids step up and fill in up to this point,” Crockett said. “Once we get everyone back healthy, we’ve got a pretty good group.”

ROGERS HIGH

OVERCOMES ADVERSITY

It would have been easy for Rogers High to feel sorry for itself after giving up a kickoff return for a touchdown to open last Thursday’s game with Harrison.

However, the Mounties (3-1) responded with 38 unanswered points in a 24-point triumph over the Goblins.

“We could have gone two ways (after the kick return) and we went the right way,” Rogers High coach Jeremiah Tebbenkamp said. “Our kids did a good job of staying focused.”

Rogers High opens division play by hosting Siloam Springs at Whitey Smith Stadium.

“What jumps out at you about Siloam Springs is how big they are,” Tebbenkamp said. “We need to eliminate pre-snap penalities and be more physical off ensively.”

Upcoming Events