FAYETTEVILLE — For the first time since 2009, a Fayetteville football season didn’t end with an appearance at War Memorial Stadium in the Class 7A state championship game. But all things considered, Bulldogs coach Daryl Patton has few complaints about his team’s performance this fall.
Fayetteville, the Class 7A champions each of the past two years and runner-up in 2010, faced what appeared to be a major rebuild this season. With a new quarterback, an entirely new offensive line, inexperienced kickers and the loss of Division-I college talent on both sides of the ball, the Bulldogs faced plenty of questions as preseason camp began.
“I’m very proud of our kids, and very proud of our seniors,” Patton said. “Our seniors did a great job leading this team through a tough season. And the success we have in future years, this season is an important part of that.”
Fayetteville’s progression on both sides of the ball continued with each week. Senior quarterback Mitch Marshall — who finished the season with 2,834 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and nine interceptions — found reliable targets in senior Jordan Dennis and junior C.J. O’Grady. Junior tailback Brayden Cook provided a steady running threat despite nagging injuries with more than 900 yards on the year.
Defensively, the Bulldogs found a top playmaker in junior Dre Greenlaw, while the unit as a whole developed into of the top in the 7A/6A-West Conference behind the play of Damani Carter, Ridley Weeks and Miles Taliaferro.
Fayetteville faced tough challenges from Warren and Muskogee, Okla. in the nonconference, then survived tough tests from Springdale High and Rogers Heritage early in 7A/6A-West action. The result was an 8-0 start and a top five ranking in the Hootens Arkansas football poll.
Unlike in recent years, the tougher part of the schedule caught up with the Bulldogs. In week nine, Fayetteville dropped a 34-31 overtime decision to Springdale Har-Ber. Then came a 35-21 loss to Bentonville in the regular season finale, followed by a surprising 34-28 loss to Little Rock Central in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs.
“If anybody was at those games, Springdale Har-Ber was the preseason favorite to win the league and their line was so much bigger than us,” Patton said. “For us to rally from down 24-3 and have a chance to win, that showed our coaches a lot about our team.
“Then we have a chance to win against Bentonville the next week. And against Little Rock Central, we have seven turnovers which is very uncharacteristic of our team. But with seven turnovers, we still have a chance to win the game. So I hated it for our seniors that it ended the way it did, but I’m still proud of them.”
Fayetteville returns 28 lettermen and as many as 15 starters next season, counting placekickers. The incoming sophomores are expected to be a very strong class, as Woodland Junior High finished 10-0 in the NWA Conference this fall while Ramay also finished fourth in the league.
“It was a very good year top to bottom for Fayetteville football,” Patton said. “Our seniors did a great job getting us through some tough waters this year, but the future is looking bright.”