BENTONVILLE -- Special teams play proved to be the difference for Bentonville High in its 7A-West Conference opener.
The Tigers pounced on Springdale Har-Ber's mistakes Friday night, then provided some big returns that led to scores en route to a 44-8 rout of the Wildcats at Tiger Stadium, giving the Tigers their first win of the season.
BENTONVILLE HIGH 44, SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 8
Har-Ber 0 0 0 8 — 8
Bentonville 9 21 14 0 — 44
First Quarter
Bent — Hughes 1 run (Younger kick), 4:21.
Bent — Safety, 1:56.
Second Quarter
Bent — Campbell 4 run (Younger kick), 11:15.
Bent — Crawford 8 run (Younger kick), 7:41.
Bent — Crawford 1 run (Younger kick), 3:24.
Third Quarter
Bent — Ried 5 run (Younger kick), 7:55.
Bent — Moss 5 run (Younger kick), 3:54.
Fourth Quarter
Har — Wood 6 run (Wood run), 10:31.
"We emphasize special teams around here," Bentonville coach Jody Grant said. "That's how we start every one of our meetings -- with special teams. The kids have embraced it.
"I told the kids right before the game that you can win or lose a football game on special teams alone. I think that got the momentum on our side with the success we had on our special teams."
Bentonville (1-3, 1-0 7A-West) jumped out to a 7-0 lead on Easton Hughes' one-yard quarterback keeper with 4 minutes, 21 seconds left in the first quarter, five plays after a 5-yard Har-Ber punt attempt gave the Tigers the ball on the Wildcats' 27.
Har-Ber (2-2, 0-1) was forced to punt again on its next possession, then Noah Fetherolf blocked John Delmotte's kick out of the end zone for a safety and a 9-0 Bentonville lead.
Preston Crawford had a 56-yard return on the ensuing kickoff, and that led to Harrison Campbell's 4-yard touchdown run with 11:15 before halftime. Campbell's 21-yard punt return moments later and Hughes' 41-yard pass to Devin Hearn set up Crawford's eight-run touchdown run with 7:41 left in the first half, then Crawford added a 1-yard touchdown run to give Bentonville a 30-0 halftime cushion.
"The first half, we just self-destructed," Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. "We had a lot of mental mistakes, and they won the special teams. Jody Grant did a good job of having his group ready, and I failed our kids in not having ourselves ready.
"They've just got to see the big picture. You're going to go through moments like this where things are a little bit tough, but for the long haul, I love the direction our team is heading. This was just a rough night for us."
Bentonville added a pair of five-yard touchdown runs by Colby Ried and A.J. Moss in the third quarter and forced the running clock into play. Har-Ber avoided the shutout when Hunter Wood ran 6 yards for a score and added the two-point conversion run.
Both teams continue conference play next week as Bentonville travels to Van Buren, while Har-Ber heads home for the first time since its season opener and hosts Rogers Heritage.
Sports on 09/22/2018