Hand me a bowl of chili, a warm blanket and a cold drink, and I could spend an entire December day watching all three of "The Godfather" movies.
But some sequels are gosh awful, like eight of the 10 movies in the "Friday The 13th" series. So, I was unsure of what to expect with Bentonville vs. Fayetteville Part IV, the championship series.
The 7A-West rivals met in the Class 7A championship game for the fourth time in five years on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium. But this sequel was well worth the three-hour drive from Northwest Arkansas to War Memorial Stadium, where Bentonville defeated Fayetteville 24-21.
Fans who follow football closely knew this game would be closer than the 45-2 blowout Bentonville had over Fayetteville four weeks ago. The outcome in Saturday's rematch wasn't decided until Cody Scroggins intercepted a long pass with five seconds remaining. It was the second interception of the game for Scroggins, who also caught two touchdown passes and was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
Scroggins likely played his last football game after signing to play baseball at Arkansas.
"Perfect way to go out," Scroggins said while clutching his MVP trophy after the game. "Perfect way."
Bentonville junior quarterback Kasey Ford would agree after hooking up with his now former teammate for six completions and 67 yards with two touchdowns.
"I love you, man," Ford said as the two hugged after the game. "I love you."
Bentonville also showed plenty of respect after the game for Fayetteville, which took a 21-17 lead on a leaping touchdown catch by Garland Allison from Taylor Powell with 3 minutes, 5 seconds left to play. The Bentonville players and their fans responded with more than polite golf claps when the Bulldogs were presented the runner-up trophy.
Fayetteville finished 11-3 on the season after its second loss to Bentonville.
"That Fayetteville team, they're amazing," Scroggins said. "They've got (Dre) Greenlaw, they've got C.J. (O'Grady). ... I can't wait to watch them play football when I go to Arkansas."
Saturday's game had a little bit of everything, from the creative play-calling fans love to the hard knocks on defense that coaches enjoy.
Bentonville scored the only touchdown in the first quarter on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Ford to Scroggins. Fayetteville countered with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Rock where its linemen were split wide. Scroggins also showed the hands and lateral movement of a shortstop when he stepped in front of O'Grady and intercepted a pass when Fayetteville was driving to start the second half.
The Bulldogs weren't done, and they fought back with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to take the lead. But Bentonville responded with an 11-play, 68-yard drive that left only 19 seconds on the clock.
Even then, the outcome wasn't secure until a Fayetteville receiver slipped and Scroggins intercepted on the final play of his football career.
All those early struggles then vanished for Bentonville, which finished 9-4 and won its fifth state championship after starting 0-4 on the season.
"We stuck together as a team," Scroggins said, "and we had great coaches who wouldn't give up on us."
The Fayetteville vs. Bentonville championship series could end when Bentonville adds a second school in 2016. But fans who enjoyed Saturday's exciting game certainly wouldn't mind another December matchup between the men in black and those Bulldogs dressed in purple.
How about Bentonville vs. Fayetteville Part V, the final chapter?
RICK FIRES IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR NWA NEWSPAPERS
Sports on 12/07/2014