SPRINGDALE -- Bentonville West shut out Springdale 40-0 behind a stingy defense and electric offense on a rainy Friday night at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium.
The Wolverines (3-2, 1-1 7A-West) were fueled with motivation heading into the game from hearing predictions of a nail-biter.
"Going into the game there were some people who were doubting us," Bentonville West Coach Bryan Pratt said. "I think in one poll we were a one-point favorite in the game, and we challenged our kids with that a little bit."
Turnovers plagued Springdale (1-4, 1-1) in the opening half, while the Wolverine defense allowed just 63 total yards in the final two quarters.
"I'm proud of the way the kids battled and got after it," Pratt said. "Shutouts are huge. They're really hard to come by and for Coach [Willie] Johnson to get one, that's huge for us."
Bentonville West jumped out to an early 19-0 lead behind a big first half from junior running back Carson Morgan. He rushed for 125 yards before the break, including a 52-yard burst into the end zone.
Morgan finished with 135 yards and two scores. Sophomore back Cole Edmondson also added 61 yards rushing, including a 55-yard bolt to the end zone.
Bentonville West gained 465 yards of total offense, with 198 through the air and 267 on the ground. Four different Wolverines scored rushing touchdowns.
Sophomore quarterback Jake Casey went 13-of-23 passing for 198 yards and a touchdown. He connected in the third quarter with Ty Durham, dropping a 58-yard dime to the junior receiver and putting the Wolverines up 26-0.
The Bentonville West offensive line didn't allow a sack, and paved lanes for the ground game.
"All glory to them," Morgan said of his teammates up front. "They did it all night for us. Here and there I had to make some things happen, but most of my runs were all on them."
Like his coach, Morgan pointed to the extra motivation it gave the team to hear some predicting a close game.
"I think we proved something to a lot of people," he said. "There were reporters saying we were like a one-point favorite over Springdale. I think we really showed up and proved that even though we're young and make some mistakes, we're a good team."
Despite the shutout, Pratt is already looking ahead to next week's matchup with Rogers.
"It's a deal where we've got to enjoy the moment, but next week we get Rogers which is a good football team that's been scoring a lot of points," he said. "There will be some challenges with that, but we're proud of where we're at now.
"We're going to enjoy it, and in the morning start getting ready for Rogers."