CENTERTON -- There was a carnival-like atmosphere in Centerton on Friday with games, face painters, hamburgers from the grill, snow cones for the kids, and blaring, upbeat music that encouraged people to pick up the pace.
That was all before most fans had even entered the stadium.
Bentonville West High School and its sports facilities are another example that shows the population growth and prosperity of Northwest Arkansas. Wolverine Stadium is spacious and it is impressive, especially considering what was here before the school was built.
"Coyotes, cows, fences, pastures, an old farm house, and a milk barn," Paul Wallace, facilities director at Bentonville Public Schools, said in describing the area before construction began.
It is fitting Fort Smith Southside was the opposing team for Bentonville West's first game in its new stadium. Southside shared Mayo-Thompson Field with Fort Smith Northside until moving into its own stadium in 1989.
Total cost of Wolverine Stadium is $3.8 million, which was kick-started by a $150,000 contribution from First National Bank of Northwest Arkansas. There are 2,650 seats on the home side and 1,400 bleacher seats on the visitors' side.
The Wolverines enter their new stadium from a large indoor facility on the south side and a scoreboard on the north end keeps fans aware of the situation on the field. The artificial surface is encircled by an eight-lane track and a large press box rises from behind the west stands with the words "Claws Up!" on the front.
Southside brought a sizable crowd and the home stands were full, including an energetic student section, where the seats were occupied from the bottom row to the top.
"It's always nice to be home and have your own place to play," said Mikel Holmquist, a Bentonville West supporter who watched the game along the fence on the west side. "It's a true home-field advantage when the team is playing here with the fans behind them."
There'll be a long lists of firsts during the inaugural season for the Wolverines, who shared Tiger Stadium their first two years with Bentonville High. Southside quarterback Taye Gatewood scored the first touchdown in the new stadium on a 2-yard run with 5:44 left in the first quarter. Bentonville West's first score was more dramatic when Tyrese Smallwood took a short pass from Dalton McDonald and went 70 yards for the touchdown with 9:53 left before the half.
The two connected again, this time on a 51-yard play to cut the Southside lead to 23-14 at halftime. Bentonville West clawed their way into contention in the second half but the first game at Wolverine Stadium will go into the record books as a 44-31 defeat to Southside. The Mavericks, as expected, appear much improved from last season when they were 3-8.
So, opening night wasn't a complete success for the Wolverines, who fall to 0-2. But there'll be better days for Bentonville West, especially when quarterback Will Jarrett returns from the ankle injury he suffered last week in the loss at Owasso, Okla.
West must regroup quickly next week when Bryant arrives for its first visit to Wolverine Stadium. The game will be exciting and there'll be plenty more to see on the 90 acres at Bentonville West, where coyotes and cows used to roam.
Sports on 09/01/2018