Next chapter of Bentonville-Fayetteville high-stakes rivalry on tap Friday

By Steve Andrews | Photo by Tommy Land  

Over the past two decades it has been arguably the most impactful football rivalry in Northwest Arkansas. And Friday night’s clash between Bentonville and Fayetteville will once again have a significant bearing on how this season unfolds.

Bentonville (5-1, 3-0) sits alone the top of the 7A-West with an unbeaten conference mark, while Fayetteville (4-2, 2-1) looks to pull even with a win at Tiger Stadium. The Bulldogs currently sit in a three-way tie for second place, along with Rogers (5-1, 4-2) and Bentonville West (4-2, 2-1).

“It’s been a phenomenal matchup, I’d say, the last 15 or 20 years,” Bentonville head coach Jody Grant said. “Our kids are excited about it. Our community is excited about it. And I’m sure theirs is the same. Fayetteville is playing good football right now, and I think we are, too, so it should be a really good game.”

Since 2001, the teams have combined for 10 state championships, with five each. But in conference games, Bentonville has had a distinct advantage. The Tigers had won 15 straight regular-season games against Fayetteville, until the Bulldogs’ 42-34 victory last October. Although, during that streak, Fayetteville held a 5-2 advantage over the Tigers in the postseason and won all five of its state championships (2007, ‘11, ‘12, ‘15, and ’16).

“It’s always just a matchup of two really well-coached football teams that are playing at a high level,” Fayetteville head coach Casey Dick said. “You can look at the history of both programs put together and they have done some really special things.”

Last season, Fayetteville rallied from a 14-point deficit to finish unbeaten in the conference and clinch its first outright conference title in 58 years, dating back to 1963. It also ended Bentonville’s 35-game conference win streak.

“Anytime you have a game that is significant as that one, you want to win as many as you can,” Dick said. “One of our goals every year is to play for, and win, the conference championship. But that entire Bentonville staff and administration just does a phenomenal job, year in and year out, of creating a great environment and putting a great team on the field.”

Grant echoed that sentiment, saying his team’s No. 1 goal each year is to win the conference championship, then ultimately aim for a state title. That road usually goes through Fayetteville, and this year is no different.

“Conference championships are important to us and our program,” Grant said. “Ultimately, we are trying to win a state championship, but I think you also have to celebrate the goals that you accomplish, and one of our goals each year is to win the conference. That also positions you for the best success to win a state championship. You get home field, you get a bye, and all the things like that. So, we talk about it weekly of what our plan is and how we want to accomplish that.

“Fayetteville is a contender each year, just like we are, so they are always a team that we have to go through to reach our goals. One thing we’ve got going for us right now is we control our own destiny. So, we’ve just got to continue to play well and win football games, and hopefully it works out for us.”

The Tigers’ lone loss this season was a 44-35 defeat at the hands of Conway in a non-conference battle in Week 2. Fayetteville’s two losses have come by a combined four points – a 31-28 loss to Cabot in the season-opener, then a 29-28 conference loss to Rogers two weeks ago. So, both teams understand the importance of this game.

Bentonville has been nearly flawless on offense, with junior quarterback Carter Nye and the controls and senior Josh Ficklin, one of the state’s best running backs, dictating the flow. Ficklin has run for 785 yards on 121 carries – averaging 130 per game – with 17 touchdowns in six games. Nye has completed 95 of his 135 passes for 1,402 yards and 16 TDs. His top receiver, junior C.J. Brown, has 26 receptions for 458 yards and 8 scores.

“Our offense is really operating clean, and I think a lot of people would be surprised to hear that we have nine starters that are all underclassman on our offense,” Grant said. “So, it’s a young group, but very talented and athletic. Carter is the trigger for that group, and he has a lot of confidence and swagger that you want in a quarterback. We are trying to be pretty multiple, offensively, in what we do and try to maintain a run-pass ratio that is pretty balanced.

“It’s been fun to watch these guys develop and grow, and what’s so exciting for me as a coach is that they are doing it at such a young age. We’ve got some sophomores and juniors out there that are really growing up in a hurry and getting really good. It’s been fun to watch.”

But he also realizes that it’s his senior ball carrier that makes the engine go.

“You better put some safeties in the box if you want to stop our run game, which really opens up our aerial attack,” he added. “But I think Carter and Josh would both tell you that they wouldn’t have the success they’ve had without a great supporting cast, with a great offensive line and some very dangerous receiving threats.

The Tigers defense struggled at times the first couple of games, but after shuffling the lineup, things have improved of late.

“I don’t think we were very good the first couple of games, but I think we have gotten better,” Grant added. “We’ve made some adjustments to the personnel, trying to find the best fit to get our 11 best athletes on the field at the same time. It’s been a work in progress, but I think they have played really well the past few weeks.”

He knows Fayetteville will pose a threat on both sides of the ball but has really been impressed with the Bulldogs’ explosive offense.

“I think they have two really good coordinators, and their offensive coordinator (Jay Wilkinson) is a very good play caller and can get his guys in the right situations,” Grant said. “Their quarterback has a big arm and makes really good throws with great accuracy. And they have some receivers that can find ways to get open and make some plays.

Fayetteville’s junior quarterback Drake Lindsey leads all of Class 7A in passing with 2,056 yards and 21 touchdowns, and has orchestrated the Bulldogs’ run-pass option attack to near perfection. His top target, junior Kaylon Morris, has 51 catches for 953 yards and 7 TDs.

Defensively, the Bulldogs are led by senior middle linebacker Brooks Yurachek, who is averaging over 10 tackles a game and returned an interception 84 yards for a touchdown against Fort Smith Southside last week.

But Dick knows successes will be determined this week with how well they line up to defend Bentonville.

“I think they are just a typical Bentonville team -- they want to line up and run the ball like they have in the past,” he said. “They use two tight ends and multiple positions, and they want to make you contain the line of scrimmage. They’ve also got some guys out wide that can hurt you if you don’t have your eyes right. They make you account for every person of the field, for sure.”

A focal point will be trying to contain Ficklin, which has been nearly impossible to do this season.

“They just do a really good job with him,” Dick added. “They run things schematically that support him and his style of running, but then they do things that also support the offensive line. They play really well at complementary football.”

So, once again, Dick’s message to his team has been to simply stick to the basics of the game, and just play sound football in all three phases of the game.

“No. 1, we’re going to have to get lined up correctly,” he said. “That’s the basic thing that we can do, that we can control. They are going to make us play with great leverage. So, we need to get the ball flat, then don’t let the ball get outside, which will pose some problems. Then we just have to tackle well. Just fundamental football.”