Bentonville has won five state championships since 2001, but there was a stretch when Springdale Har-Ber was about even with the Tigers in football.
In 2007, the teams shared the conference championship when Har-Ber beat Bentonville 24-23 in only its second year of varsity football. In 2009, Har-Ber won the state championship and lost only to Bentonville, which finished 9-2. In 2010, Bentonville beat Har-Ber twice while completing a 13-0 championship season.
Only Fayetteville, with state championships in 2011 and 2012, has been able to slow a Bentonville machine that is again pumping out victories under first-year head coach Jody Grant.
Har-Ber, which won at least 10 games between 2007 and 2010, is on an upswing after managing only three wins a year ago. The Wildcats are 4-1 and eager to test themselves tonight in a 7A-West Conference showdown against the Tigers, who are 5-0 after last week's 21-10 victory at Fort Smith Northside.
Tonight's game at Tiger Stadium features two of the best quarterbacks in the state. Kasey Ford has been leading Bentonville to wins since his sophomore season, when he was selected the MVP in the state championship game against Cabot. No one has been more valuable to his team this year than Fuller Chandler, whose skills have revived a Har-Ber passing game that was non-existent last season.
Bentonville has another stout defense and Har-Ber's unit appears much improved from a year ago, when the Wildcats allowed over 33 points per game.
It's risky to pick against a team that's won 14 consecutive games and the Tigers are home tonight where a large and vocal crowd is expected. But Har-Ber, which faces Fayetteville next week, is too good this year to go 0-2 against the league's dominant teams.
RICK'S PICK: Springdale Har-Ber
Other games involving teams from Northwest Arkansas (selections are capitalized).
CLASS 7A/6A
FAYETTEVILLE at Springdale
FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE at Rogers Heritage
Rogers at FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE
Siloam Springs at VAN BUREN
Clarksville at FARMINGTON
CLASS 4A
GENTRY at Huntsville
Gravette at PEA RIDGE
Lincoln at BERRYVILLE
Shiloh Christian at PRAIRIE GROVE
CLASS 3A
ELKINS at Marshall
GREEN FOREST at Yellville-Summit
GREENLAND at Mountain View
WEST FORK at Cedarville
CLASS 2A
Mountainburg at HECTOR
LAST WEEK 14-2 (87 percent)
OVERALL 67-18 (78 percent)
Sports on 10/09/2015