Fayetteville hasn't forgotten about its loss to Bentonville in the Class 7A state championship game last December at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
The Bulldogs saw Tigers quarterback Kasey Ford engineer an 11-play, 68-yard game-winning drive that resulted in a 24-21 Bentonville victory. Fayetteville led 21-17 with just more than three minutes left but couldn't hold on as Bentonville won its second consecutive Class 7A state title.
Tonight’s game
BENTONVILLE AT FAYETTEVILLE
WHEN 7 p.m.
WHERE Harmon Field, Fayetteville
RECORDS Bentonville 8-1, 5-1 7A-West; Fayetteville 8-1, 5-1
RANKINGS Bentonville No. 7 overall, No. 4 Class 7A; Fayetteville No. 2 overall and in Class 7A
COACHES Bentonville: Jody Grant; Fayetteville: Daryl Patton
KEY PLAYERS Bentonville: QB Kasey Ford, Sr., 6-5, 272; WR Clay Barganier, Jr., 5-8, 162; RB Jacob Clark, Jr., 5-10, 180. Fayetteville: QB Taylor Powell, Jr., 6-2, 200; RB Luke Rapert, Sr., 5-9, 170; WR Tyson Morris, Sr., 6-3, 190.
"It was the driving force all season," Fayetteville Coach Daryl Patton said. "They want to get back to Little Rock. We remember Bentonville very well."
Fayetteville hosts Bentonville tonight in their 7A-West Conference regular-season finale at Harmon Field. The conference's No. 1 seed won't be on the line tonight -- Springdale Har Ber has clinched that -- but the Bulldogs (8-1, 5-1) and Tigers (8-1, 5-1) still have plenty to play for.
Tonight's winner will be the No. 2 seed from the 7A-West and will earn a first-round bye, while the loser gets the third seed and plays next week at home.
Since the Class 7A expanded to a 12-team format in 2008, Bentonville has earned a first-round bye every year.
"Getting a bye is huge," said Bentonville Coach Jody Grant, who took over for Barry Lunney in the offseason. "When you do play after the bye, you're at home. We play really nice at home."
After a 31-21 loss to Springdale Har-Ber on Oct. 9 at Tiger Stadium, Bentonville beat Springdale 28-3, but that wasn't enough considering their recent history.
"We had a little 'Come to Jesus' moment, and our senior class made a decision to get this thing right," Grant said.
Ford, a senior, has put the Tigers in position to earn another top-two seed from the 7A-West. He's completed 145 of 201 passes for 1,877 yards with 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
"Kasey is a heck of a player," Patton said. "He's one of the top quarterbacks in the state, no doubt. He knows how to win, especially in November and December. We have the utmost respect for him."
Junior quarterback Taylor Powell has been the Bulldogs' leader. Powell has competed 176 of 240 passes for 2,373 yards with 35 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He had four touchdown passes in the Bulldogs' 63-10 victory at Rogers last Friday.
Grant said Powell's emergence as one of the state's top quarterbacks began in last year's playoffs against Fort Smith Southside and Bentonville.
"We've been very impressed with him," Grant said. "His confidence is pretty high."
Tonight's game may not be the last meeting between Bentonville and Fayetteville this season. Both are on the same side of the bracket and could meet in the Class 7A semifinals, with the winner of tonight's game hosting.
"There's no avoiding them," Grant said. "It's a matter of the teams being fortunate to get there."
Ultimately, even though a first-round bye is at stake for the Tigers and Bulldogs, Patton said the rivalry between the two teams is just as important tonight.
"It's Bentonville," Patton said. "You can throw out the records. Let's go play. That should be enough right there."
The opportunity to compete for a third state consecutive championship isn't lost on Grant, and beating Fayetteville tonight would be a good start, he said.
"There aren't too many senior classes that get to do that," Grant said. "They get it. A win for us would be huge."
Sports on 11/06/2015