BENTONVILLE -- Jody Grant said his team and his coaching staff never lost faith in the process after a 1-2 start to the season.
The Tigers were hammered twice in their first three games, at Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst in the opener, then two weeks later at home against Conway.
Grant said the coaching staff made some changes within the program before the start of 7A-West Conference play, including some changes with the way the team practices.
"Truthfully, after we started the season 1-2, there were a lot of people who were questioning what type of football team we were going to be," Grant said. "But we knew what we were capable of. We just stayed the course. We just kept being who we are."
Grant was still wet from being doused with water after his team steamrolled Bryant 44-14 on Friday in a Class 7A semifinal at Tiger Stadium. He was also smiling from ear-to-ear after his team delivered a big birthday present.
"I was telling my wife there is no sweeter present in my mind than an opportunity to play for a state championship," Grant said.
The Tigers will have that chance next week when they take on North Little Rock at noon Saturday in War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
The Tigers (10-2) won their ninth straight game Friday in dominating fashion. Bentonville led 24-0 at the end of the first quarter, and 37-7 at halftime. The fast start was huge, said Grant.
There was no surprise factor to this birthday gift after the Tigers (10-2) jumped out to a 24-0 lead in the first quarter and led 37-7 at halftime. The fast start was huge in securing their ninth straight win, Grant said.
"We always want to get off to a fast start," he said. "Bryant is a good football team. And they know how to play from behind. So getting off to a fast start, yeah, that was big."
Bentonville quarterback Nathan Lyons said the team never lost focus even after the slow start to the season.
"There was some doubt from the outside," Lyons said. "There was a lot of negativity, but we just had to come together as a group, and we started to get win after win after win. It was a confidence thing, and we needed to have something go right.
"That win against Fayetteville, we started to believe we were a good football team, and then we beat Har-Ber and were like, 'Hey, we're a really good football team.' And it's not how you start, but how you finish. We got better every week, and now we're a dang good football team."
Since 2005, the 7A-West Conference has won every state championship game, a streak of 13 straight years. The last team from the Central conference to win a state title came in 2004, which is something the Bentonville coaches and players talked about before Friday's game.
"We've been talking about it all week," Lyons said. "We have to defend the tradition, and we're going to bring it to North Little Rock. We're here on a mission, and we proved that tonight."
Sports on 11/25/2017