WEEK 0
August 25
Fayetteville 43, Cabot 21
Fayetteville recorded three safeties in the first quarter, and Drake Lindsey threw for four touchdowns as Fayetteville rolled past Cabot in the season opener.
The Bulldogs' first points of the season came on a safety following a bad snap on a Panther punt attempt, then Lindsey hit Charlie Graves with a 60-yard touchdown pass on Fayetteville's first offensive play following the free kick. The Bulldogs added two more safeties and led 13-0 after one quarter.
The Bulldogs then pulled away as Lindsey hit Jaison DeLamar with two touchdown passes and Kaden Spencer returned a fumble 48 yards for another score and a 33-0 cushion late in the second quarter.
Lindsey finished with 343 yards on 23 of 39 passing, and Mason Spencer caught six passes for 158 yards, including an 84-yard touchdown pass that made it a 43-14 game in the third quarter. DeLamar finished with 85 yards and 2 touchdowns on nine receptions.
WEEK 1
September 1
Fayetteville 58, North Little Rock 20
Fayetteville scored the last 44 points to erase a North Little Rock lead and blow out the Charging Wildcats at North Little Rock.
North Little Rock took a 20-16 lead on Tyson Bradden's 47-yard touchdown pass to Jace White with 7:45 left in the first half before Fayetteville took control. Drake Lindsey's 54-yard touchdown pass to Mason Spencer put the Bulldogs ahead to stay, then Lindsey threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jaison DeLamar to make it a 30-20 halftime game.
Christian Setzer added a pair of scores, one on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Lindsey and another one an 8-yard run after Fayetteville had blocked a punt. Kaleb Johnson added a 2-yard touchdown run, and backup quarterback Landon Holzhauer added a 21-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Clark.
WEEK 2
September 8
Fayetteville 56, Fort Smith Northside 0
Fayetteville made the most of six Northside turnovers and did all of its scoring in the first half at Harmon Field.
Christian Setzer gave the Bulldogs the only points they eventually needed with a 1-yard touchdown run, three plays after Northside fumbled on its opening offensive play. Fayetteville then picked off a Northside pass, and Setzer scored on a 55-yard run for a 14-0 cushion with just a minute gone.
Isaiah Taylor returned an interception 43 yards for the next Bulldogs touchdown, and Fayetteville eventually made it a 35-0 cushion before the first quarter ended. The Bulldogs then added three more scored in the second quarter.
WEEK 4
September 22
Fayetteville 56, Bentonville West 21
Jaison DeLamar did more offensive damage in Fayetteville's 7A-West Conference opener than he did in the Bulldogs' three nonconference games behind.
The junior receiver caught nine passes for 205 yards and five touchdowns, and Fayetteville's defense did its part by producing turnovers that the offense turned into points. DeLamar caught a 45-yard touchdown pass after the Bulldogs recovered a fumble to end the first quarter, and he had another touchdown reception after Kasey Lehman had an interception.
DeLamar then added three touchdown passes in the third quarter, helping Fayetteville ended its lead to a 49-14 margin and force the running clock to be used.
WEEK 5
September 29
Fayetteville 47, Rogers 42
Drake Lindsey's 15-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Graves with 5:05 remaining put Fayetteville ahead to stay as the Bulldogs outlasted Rogers in a 7A-West Conference shootout at Harmon Field.
The pass gave Fayetteville a 44-41 lead, then Rogers elected to give up a safety after being pinned deep in its territory. The Bulldogs then moved into Mounties territory, but a bad snap on a punt attempt gave the Mounties the ball with another chance to take the lead with just under 3 minutes remaining.
On the next play, however, Rogers fumbled the ball away, and Jeff Miller recovered for Fayetteville to preserve its lead.
Drake Lindsey threw for 535 yards and six touchdowns, while his Rogers counterpart Dane Williams threw for 478 yards and also had six touchdowns. Jaison DeLamar led the Bulldogs' receiving corps with 170 yards on 13 catches.
WEEK 6
October 6
Fayetteville 45, Fort Smith Southside 31
Drake Lindsey and Charlie Graves connected on touchdown passes 10 and 4 yards to erase an early 14-7 deficit, and Fayetteville went on to defeat Southside at Jim Rowland Stadium.
The Bulldogs were able to produce points off three Mavericks turnovers to build a 28-17 halftime lead. Fayetteville's first touchdown, a 9-yard pass from Lindsey to Landon Lucke, came after Noah Janski recovered a Southside fumble.
Graves' second touchdown catch followed Kaden Spencer's interception of a tipped pass, then Lindsey hit Jaison DeLamar with an 87-yard touchdown pass one play after Isaiah Taylor's interception with 45 second before halftime.
WEEK 7
October 13
Fayetteville 42, Bentonville 21
Fayetteville scored 35 unanswered points to race past Bentonville and move into sole possession of first place in the 7A-West Conference with a win at Harmon Field.
The Bulldogs fell behind early for the second straight week, but Drake Lindsey threw touchdown passes of 10 yards to Kaleb Johnson and 9 yards to Christian Setzer to take a 21-14 lead at halftime. Lindsey added a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jaison DeLamar late in the third quarter, then threw two more -- 37 yards to Mason Spencer and 10 yards to Charlie Graves -- for a 42-14 cushion.
Lindsey finished with 261 yards on 17 of 30 passing, with DeLamar catching five for 210 yards. In addition to his touchdown reception, Setzer ran for 81 yards on 17 carries.
WEEK 8
October 20
Fayetteville 52, Springdale 15
Nathan Kachel's decision to run instead of punting the ball away sparked Fayetteville to a victory over Springdale in the annual Battle of the Bulldogs at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium.
Fayetteville had a 14-7 lead when Kachel, for fear his punt would be blocked, elected to run instead. His decision resulted in a 19-yard gain and a first down, then Drake Lindsey connected with Charlie Graves for a 16-yard touchdown pass six plays later, starting a string of 31 unanswered points as the Purple'Dogs pulled away from the Red Dogs.
Kachel also kicked a 33-yard field goal to end the first half and give Fayetteville a 24-7 cushion. Lindsey then made it his third straight game with at least five touchdown passes when he hit Jaison DeLamar with a 22-yard strike before adding a 16-yard touchdown pass to Landon Lucke.
WEEK 9
October 27
Fayetteville 35, Rogers Heritage 7
Drake Lindsey hit Mason Spencer for 80 yards and a touchdown on the game's first offensive play, and Fayetteville went on to defeat Heritage and clinch the 7A-West's top seed for the Class 7A State Playoffs.
Lindsey added touchdown passes of 8 yards to Catavion Taylor and 51 yards to Spencer, and Christian Setzer added a 16-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs a 28-0 halftime cushion. Setzer's score one play after Jeff Miller intercepted a pass.
Setzer's second touchdown, a 10-yard run, gave Fayetteville a 35-0 lead and forced the running clock early in the third quarter.
WEEK 10
November 3
Fayetteville 56, Springdale Har-Ber 28
Drake Lindsey tied a school record when he threw seven touchdown passes to six different receivers as Fayetteville closed out the regular season with a victory over Har-Ber and clinched the outright 7A-West Conference title.
Lindsey took some teasing from his teammates after he lost his footing and stumbled short of the goal line on what would have been a long touchdown run. He then threw his record-tying touchdown pass on the ensuing play.
The Bulldogs only led 28-21 at halftime, but dominated the third quarter and doubled their point totals. Lindsey hit Mason Spencer with a 2-yard touchdown pass to start the outburst, which extended Fayetteville's lead to 56-21 and forced the running clock into play.
Lindsey finished with the game 337 yards on 25 of 28 passing.
CLASS 7A QUARTERFINALS
November 17
Fayetteville 30, Fort Smith Southside 24
Fayetteville built a 30-10 lead, then held off Southside's comeback attempt to earn its second victory of the season over the Mavericks at Harmon Field.
Nathan Kachel, whose 25-yard field goal just before halftime gave the Bulldogs a 17-3 cushion, was called upon for kicks of 25 and 27 yards after Southside had made it a 17-10 game on Carter Zimmerman's 58-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Gregory. Drake Lindsey then added a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jaison DeLamar to make it a 30-10 game with 6:10 remaining.
Southside, however, made things interesting as Zimmerman threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Gregory, then added a 34-yard touchdown toss to George Herrell after recovering an onside kick to make it a 30-24 game with 3:41 left to play. The Mavericks earned another chance after a defensive stop and a shanked punt, but Isaiah Taylor's interception two plays later ended the comeback threat.
CLASS 7A SEMIFINALS
November 24
Fayetteville 24, Conway 21
Nathan Kachel's 27-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter was the difference as Fayetteville earned its trip to the state championship game by defeating the team that handed the Bulldogs their last loss.
Fayetteville led 21-7 on Drake Lindsey's 10-yard touchdown pass to Mason Spencer with 9:15 left in the third quarter, but Conway answered with Donovyn Omolo's 23-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Anderson later in the third quarter, then tied the game at 21 on Omolo's 9-yard touchdown pass to Jaydon Gaines with 7:53 remaining.
The Wampus Cats then drove to the Fayetteville 12 before turning the ball over on downs with under 2 minutes to play. Conway then used a fair catch on a punt to set up a free kick that would have tied the game, but a delay of game penalty nullified that plan and Conway threw four straight incomplete passes.
Christian Setzer ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries and had Fayetteville's first touchdown.
CLASS 7A CHAMPIONSHIP
December 2
Fayetteville 22, Bentonville 16
Christian Setzer's 6-yard touchdown run with 7:35 remaining and Drake Lindsey's two-point conversion pass to Lach McKinney lifted Fayetteville to its first state championship since 2015.
The Bulldogs' defense rose to the occasion in the second half after Bentonville, which took a 16-14 lead on Carter Nye's 30-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Brown with 1:10 left in the third quarter, had chances to extend its cushion.
Eli Rose recovered a fumble just one play after Fayetteville had turned the ball over, then Rhett Tidwell recovered another loose ball after Fayetteville had turned the ball over on downs. Four plays later, Setzer scored to put the Bulldogs back in front.
Bentonville then drove to the Fayetteville 13 before a holding penalty pushed the Tigers back, then Jadon Holt sacked Nye for an 8-yard loss on the next play. Bentonville then had two incomplete passes to end the drive, and Fayetteville took a knee three times to end the game.
Lindsey, who was named the game's most valuable player, completed 27 of 38 passes for 355 yards and one touchdown, while Setzer scored twice.