CLASS 7A SUPER SIX NO. 1 FAYETTEVILLE

Bulldogs new coach stresses importance of hunger

Fayetteville head coach Bill Blankenship is shown Aug. 22 during a scrimmage against Greenwood at Harmon Field in Fayetteville. Blankenship was named the Class 7A Coach of the Year.
Fayetteville head coach Bill Blankenship is shown Aug. 22 during a scrimmage against Greenwood at Harmon Field in Fayetteville. Blankenship was named the Class 7A Coach of the Year.

When Bill Blankenship interviewed for the Fayetteville coaching position, he told the school's hiring committee he would have preferred the Bulldogs to have been runners-up in the Class 7A state championship the past five years.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette file photo

Joey Savin (12) of Fayetteville misplays a ball thrown to the end zone as Luke Hannon (34) of Springdale Har-Ber reaches to make the catch Oct. 16, 2015, at Wildcat Stadium in Springdale

"To make sure there's a hunger there," Blankenship said. "The goal for me is making sure our players understand that nothing last year matters when it comes to earning a championship this year.

Class 7A Super Six

RK., TEAM;CONF.;2015 REC.

  1. Fayetteville;7A-West;12-2
  2. Springdale Har-Ber;7A-West;11-2
  3. Cabot;7A-Central;10-1
  4. North Little Rock;7A-Central;7-5
  5. Fort Smith Southside;7A-Central;8-5
  6. Bryant;7A-Central;9-3

Bulldogs at a glance

COACH Bill Blankenship

CONFERENCE 7A-West

2015 RECORD 12-2, 6-1 7A-West (won Class 7A state championship)

KEY RETURNERS QB Taylor Powell (Sr., 6-2, 202); RB Terrance Rock (Sr., 5-11, 175); OL Ty Clary (Sr., 6-4, 275); OL Spencer Stone (Sr., 6-3, 305); DL Akial Byers (Sr., 6-5, 265)

SCHEDULE

DATE;OPPONENT

Sept. 2;Blue Springs (Mo.)

Sept. 9;at Bryant

Sept. 16;at Dallas Bishop Dunne

Sept. 23;Bentonville*

Sept. 30;Bentonville West*

Oct. 7;at Rogers*

Oct. 14;Rogers Heritage*

Oct. 21;at Springdale Har-Ber*

Oct. 28;Springdale*

Nov. 4;Van Buren*

*7A-West game

"I'm trying to sell the point that we have to earn it every day."

Blankenship, who coached at the University of Tulsa in 2011-2014 and was a longtime high school coach in Oklahoma, is coming into a program that has been one of the most consistent in Class 7A this decade. The Bulldogs have won three state championships in the decade, winning in 2011, 2012 and last season.

Despite a change at the top of the program, Fayetteville is the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's preseason No. 1 team in Class 7A and in the overall top 10.

The good thing for Blankenship entering a new job is that he has an experienced quarterback.

Senior Taylor Powell, who has orally committed to Wake Forest, was the All-Arkansas Preps offensive player of the year in 2015. Powell, 6-1, 202 pounds, completed 269 of 378 passes for 3,594 yards and 49 touchdowns last season.

Powell has played in the Class 7A state championship in his two seasons as the starting quarterback. Fayetteville lost to Bentonville in the 2014 7A title game before defeating Springdale Har-Ber in December.

"People use the term special a lot, but he's definitely one of those guys," Blankenship said. "The thing that sets him apart is he's really coachable. He wants to improve his craft. He spends more time on video and asking questions than probably every player on offense combined. He's a gym rat when it comes to studying the game."

With Luke Rapert graduating, senior Terrance Rock returns to running back after playing wide receiver a year ago.

Rock had more than 500 receiving yards and caught seven touchdown passes for the Bulldogs in 2015. He also scored four touchdowns on the ground.

Fayetteville's defense is led up front by an SEC commitment. Defensive lineman Akial Byers, a senior, pledged to Alabama in July. Byers, 6-5, 265, had 69 tackles, including 11 for a loss, and 3 sacks last season.

"I don't know if I've ever coached an SEC defensive lineman," Blankenship said. "He's legit. He's very hungry to prove himself to be a dominant player."

Blankenship, who took over at Fayetteville for Daryl Patton, said he's getting acclimated to the high school level again after 11 years away. He admitted getting spoiled at Tulsa with having a director of football operations and a secretary.

"But to work with the high school youngsters that we've got, the football side of things has been really fun," Blankenship said. "I've got a great staff. They've done a great job."

Fayetteville opens the season Friday against Blue Springs (Mo.). The Bulldogs' only nonconference game against an in-state team comes Sept. 9 at Bryant before they travel to Texas to face Dallas Bishop Dunne on Sept. 16.

It's a trio of games that are opportunities for Fayetteville to get better, Blankenship said.

"I just had to look at our staff and tell them, the reality is when you schedule that way, you have to be smart enough to understand that we can be a good team and be 0-3," Blankenship said. "Or, we can be a good team and be 3-0.

"We have to focus to be a good team and let the process take care of itself. The important thing is when we get to week four, we have to be better than we were in week one."

This is Blankenship's first experience with the 7A-West Conference, which has traditionally been one of the top conferences in the state. Key games for the Bulldogs in the 7A-West include a home game against Bentonville on Sept. 23 and a trip to 7A runner-up Springdale Har-Ber on Oct. 21.

Since 2005, the Class 7A state champion has come from the 7A-West.

"People tend to beat up on each other and do that with regularity," Blankenship said. "This conference schedule prepares you for the playoff run. You're going to see good team after good team."

Before Bentonville repeated as 7A state champion in 2014, Fayetteville had won in 2011 and 2012. Four years later, the Bulldogs look to win a second consecutive state championship and fifth overall.

Blankenship understands the deal in Washington County.

"They've had plenty of success," Blankenship said. "They've won championships. To able to put them back to back is a much harder deal."

Sports on 08/28/2016

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