BENTONVILLE -- Van Buren had gone for it on fourth down twice and had nothing to show for it Friday night.
[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD: Full results + recaps, photos and more]
The results were even worse when the Pointers elected not to try it a third time and were forced to punt midway through the second quarter. Bryce Davis blocked Josue Recinos' kick, and Tyrell Lyons pounced on the loose ball for a Bentonville High touchdown.
Bentonville High 56, Van Buren 14
Van Buren^7^0^7^0^—^14
Bentonville^14^28^7^7^—^56
First quarter
Bent — Johnson 16 pass from Ross (Moehring kick), 10:28.
Van — Green 1 run (Recinos kick), 7:13.
Bent — Mays-Hunt 52 pass from Ross (Moerhing kick), 5:34.
Second quarter
Bent — Clark 20 pass from Ross (Moerhing kick), 7:58.
Bent — T. Lyons recovers blocked punt in end zone (Moerhing kick), 5:44.
Bent — Adkins 1 run (Moerhing kick), 1:07.
Bent — Clark 4 run (Moerhing kick), 0:16.8.
Third quarter
Van — Mayton 7 pass from Salisbury (Recinos kick), 7:14.
Bent — Beeler 11 pass from N. Lyons (Hogue kick), 3:18.
Fourth quarter
Bent — Miller 4 run (Hogue kick), 1:40.
Those heroics gave the Tigers the spark they needed as Bentonville scored two more touchdowns before the first half ended and went on to post a 56-14 rout during 7A-West Conference play at Tiger Stadium.
"That was big for us," Bentonville coach Jody Grant said. "Our kids have done a good job on special teams, and that's the second or third punt we've blocked this season. Our kids take pride in that, and that flipped the switch for our kids."
Davis' block and Lyons' recovery gave Bentonville (4-1, 2-0) a 28-7 lead with 5 minutes, 44 seconds left in the first half, but the Tigers weren't done at that point. A short punt on Van Buren's next possession allowed Bentonville to stay in Pointers territory, and Destyn Adkins' 1-yard touchdown run capped a nine-play drive with 1:07 before halftime.
Van Buren (1-4, 0-2) then fumbled two plays after the ensuing kickoff, and Kyle Sibley recovered the losse ball at the Pointers 15. Two plays later, Jacob Clark scored from 4 yards and gave Bentonville a 42-7 halftime cushion, which caused the running clock to be used the entire second half.
"We know the story," Van Buren coach Greg Werner said. "We can't make mistakes. Then we started making mistakes, and they make you make a lot of mistakes.
"We felt like we could have stayed in the game a little longer if we had cut out a lot of mistakes. We'll get there and we'll get better."
Bentonville starting quarterback Canaan Ross, who was limited to first-half action, completed 11 of 17 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns. He hit Tyler Johnson with a 16-yard pass for the Tigers' first score, then added a 52-yard touchdown pass to Kam'ron Mays-Hunt and a 20-yard touchdown pass to Clark.
Van Buren, though, answered Ross' first touchdown pass with Walter Green's 1-yard touchdown run with 7:13 left in the first quarter. The Pointers, however, went for it on fourth on their next two drives and fell short on both occasions.
Bentonville returns to action next week with a crucial game at Springdale Har-Ber, while Van Buren heads home to face Rogers Heritage.
Sports on 10/01/2016