Football: Fayetteville routs Har-Ber, rest of field to win title

SPRINGDALE -- Taylor Powell started twirling his right arm in a circular motion as he jogged down the field moments after perfectly placing a 40-yard touchdown pass in the Southwest Elite 7on7 Showcase title game Saturday afternoon.

The meaning behind the gesture was simple as Fayetteville increased its early lead to 17-0 over Springdale Har-Ber.

"Keep piling it on, that's what we're saying," Powell said. "Keep it going."

And that's exactly what Fayetteville did en route to beating Har-Ber 38-14 in an all 7A-West championship showdown that wound up being one-sided as the Bulldogs won the tournament title for the second time in four years.

Fayetteville led 17-0 less than three minutes into the game and Powell threw four touchdown passes as Fayetteville cruised to the win in yet another dominant showing on an afternoon full of Bulldog highlights. Fayetteville reached the title game by beating Gibson Southern, In., 41-16 in the quarterfinals and then routing Glendale, Mo., 40-7 in the semifinals. The Bulldogs had too much firepower for opponents all day, topping 40 points four times in six 20-minute games Saturday.

"We've got some weapons," Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. "And really, we were too tough to beat. We played really well today."

Saturday's success didn't come as a surprise, either. The Bulldogs are now 24-1 with two tournament titles in 7-on-7 play this summer, finishing this weekend 12-1 after going 12-0 to win the Kansas Select Qualifier and earn their way into the National Select 7on7 Championships field.

Powell and his bevy of receivers, headlined by senior Tyson Morris, posed problems for opposing defenses all day during bracket play, as he spread the ball around to a number of weapons all over the field with sharp accuracy.

"Our receivers played out of their minds today and our defense did great," Powell said. "My job was easy. Just get it to them."

Fayetteville's defense more than held its own, too. The Bulldogs defense routinely came up with stops and interceptions as they jumped out to big early leads in their final three games, going up 24-0 on Gibson Southern, 38-0 on Glendale and 17-0 on Har-Ber.

"Our kids played with a lot of speed and a lot of fire," Patton said. "When the ball was thrown, we were breaking on it and making it tough. And we didn't get beat deep. And when you don't get beat deep in high school football, there's not going to be many teams patient enough to just dink and dunk."

Har-Ber put together an impressive run, winning seven straight to reach the title game after coming out of the loser's bracket following a second-round loss in the morning. The Wildcats struggled in the championship game, their 10th of the day and fourth consecutive without a rest period, but were impressive otherwise as transfer quarterback Fuller Chandler and his receiving corps showcased their cohesion as they repeatedly connected over the top of defenses for big gains.

"This was big, 17 games in two days is huge for our timing," Chandler said. "We don't put a special playbook in or do anything different for 7-on-7. We really used this week to work on our vertical passing game. That was huge for us and I think it'll translate into the fall really well."

But as impressive as Har-Ber was in rallying, the day was ultimately about Fayetteville and its dominance. The Bulldogs have plenty of momentum as they'll try to make it three tournament titles in three tries heading into the National Select 7on7 Championships, which starts Thursday in Hoover, Ala.

"Just very proud of our coaches and players," Patton said. "It's a good way to kick off Hoover week. And we're ready to go."

Sports on 07/12/2015