Brown injured her ankle during Bentonville’s loss to Greenwood on Saturday and was on the bench with her ankle wrapped Tuesday.

Coens would not comment on Brown’s status for next week’s state tournament.

“We’re getting her healthy,” Coens said.

Bentonville looked as though it would end the match in four sets, but Fayetteville (20-12-1, 11-3 in 7A-West) used an 8-1 run to claw back from a 23-18 deficit to force a fifth set.

Senior Sarah Pfitzinger, who finished with a match-high 17 kills, had two kills and a block assist in the rally.

Fayetteville coach Jessica Phelan said the Lady Purple’Dogs struggled out of serve receive much of the night.

“I don’t think we ever got in a great rhythm off serve receive,” Phelan said. “I mean, they are a great serving team and they won that serve-and-pass battle tonight.”

Thurow led a diverse Bentonville attack with 15 kills out the middle, while outside hitters Danielle Bets and Shayne Wiedemann added 14 and 10 kills, respectively. Haley Martin added 13 kills for Fayetteville.

The Lady Purple’Dogs had a shot a sharing the league title with Springdale Har-Ber, but Bentonville took care of that.

Fayetteville will now be the second seed, while the two-time defending state champion Lady Tigers will be the third seed in the state tournament in Van Buren. The Lady Purple’Dogs will get a first-round bye and play at 6 p.m. Oct. 28. Bentonville will play at 2 p.m. Oct. 27 against the No. 6 seed from the Central.

Coens said the win was especially big for the seniors in their final home match.

“Our goal was to win tonight,” Coens said. “It didn’t matter three, four or five. Senior night is a special night for the girls and now we focus on the big trophy.”

Fayetteville came out red-hot in game one, pulling away with a 14-3 run. But Bentonville adjusted and Phelan said her team did not.

“We’ve gotta give ourselves another chance to swing at the ball,” Phelan said. “We have great offense. Bentonville did a good job of adjusting. They started tipping balls on us. We’ve got to get those up to give ourselves another swing.

“That’s frustrating,” she added. “Hopefully that can fuel a good week of practice.”

“I said I had the best doubles team (Anderson-Kraus) in the state all year long, and they came out and played that way,” Pautsch said. “They were an absolutely phenomenal doubles team for the last two years.”

Mount St. Mary’s Rebecca Bailey defeated Hillyer in the finals for the second straight year after posting a 6-0, 6-3 victory. Bailey defeated Bentonville’s Morgan Ryan 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals.

The Bentonville boys finished in second after leading the tournament after Monday’s first two rounds. Little Rock Central won the school’s 11th consecutive title, edging the Tigers 12-11. The Bentonville doubles team of sophomores Matt Tabler and Zach Ellis won the doubles title but the Tigers watched Central’s Mario Martinez defeat Fayetteville’s Rob Hodous in the singles final to give Central the championship.

Martinez overcame severe cramping to defeat Hodous 6-4, 1-6 ,7-6 (7-5). Both players will advance to next week’s Overall Championships.

“I drank too much Gatorade and it made me cramp, so I had to change my strategy,” Martinez said. “I can’t run to the ball and I had to take the angles away. I was really glad that I was able to pull it out at the end. I was never going to quit. I’m representing the school.”

Ellis and Tabler defeated Central’s Bobby Emerson and Austin Crawford 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to run their record to 15-0 on the year. They also advance to the Overall Championships.

“Those two sophomores came out and they absolutely played their guts out,” Pautsch said. “They could have rolled over. They were way up, and then they got down. They could have quit but they didn’t.”

CLASS 7A STATE TENNIS TOURNAMENT

Boys Singles

Semifinals

Hodous, Fayetteville defeated Fox, LR Catholic 6-2, 6-0

Martinez, LR Central defeated Blake, FS Southside 7-5, 6-2

Finals

Martinez defeated Hodous 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-5)

Boys Doubles

Semifinals

Z. Ellis-Tabler, Bentonville defeated Bagwell-Dunn, Van Buren 6-4, 7-5

Emerson-Crawford, LR Central defeated B. Ellis-Shah, Bentonville 6-3, 6-4.

Finals

Z. Ellis-Tabler defeated Emerson-Crawford 6-4, 3-6, 7-5

Girls Singles

Semifinals

Hillyer, Bentonville defeated Gray, Russellville 6-1, 6-2

Bailey, Mount St. Mary’s defeated Ryan, Bentonville 6-1, 6-2

Finals

Bailey defeated Hillyer 6-0, 6-3

Girls Doubles

Semifinals

Anderson-Kraus, Bentonville defeated Word-Word, Van Buren 6-1, 6-4

Liles-Randolph, LR Central defeated Skinner-Kincannon, FS Southside 6-1, 7-5

Finals

Anderson-Kraus defeated Liles-Randolph 6-2, 6-0

TEAM STANDINGS

Boys

1-Little Rock Central 12

2-Bentonville 11

3-Fayetteville 7

4-Fort Smith Southside 3

5-Little Rock Catholic 2

5-Van Buren 2

7-Rogers High 1

Girls

1-Bentonville 13

2-Mount St. Mary’s 9

3-FS Southside 4

3-Little Rock Central 4

5-Russellville 2

5-Van Buren 2

7-Rogers High 1

7-Rogers Heritage 1

If the two Bentonville doubles teams win today, it would set up a rematch of the 7A-West Conference doubles finals that was won by Zach Ellis and Tabler.

Brandon Ellis and Shah will face Little Rock Central’s Bobby Emerson and Austin Crawford in the semifinals at 10 a.m. today.

“Brandon and Varun have to play the team from Central and I watched them and they are good,” Pautsch said. “Our guys can beat them if they do some things right.”

Zach Ellis and Tabler will face Van Buren’s Bagwell-Dunn in the other boys’ semifinals.

“We have seen them this year and had good success,” Pautsch said. “But they (Van Buren) have improved and I am impressed with them. They are in a position and now it is up to them.”

Rogers High’s Trent Lamers and Adam Hile advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-1 victory before losing to Ellis-Shah in the quarterfinals. Mounties coach Steve Peck said the quarterfinals finish was one of the best in recent years.

“We played well and we actually played better in this match (quarterfinals loss),” Peck said. “We did well in the first match and this is the first time I have had a doubles team make it past the first round at state. It felt good.”

The Lady Mounties doubles team of Caroline Kelley and Anusha Manjagi also won a first-round match before falling 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals to the Little Rock Central duo of Lindsey Liles and Trinity Randolph.

“In the first match, we limited unforced errors, covered the nets well and played good team tennis,” said Lady Mounties coach Ronnie Cowan. “We were just overpowered in the second match.”

Rogers Heritage freshman Pratheepa Ravikumar won her first round match against Conway’s Mary Leath 6-0, 6-2 before losing in the quarterfinals.

CLASS 7A STATE TENNIS TOURNAMENT

WHEN: 10 a.m. today

Semifinals

Hodous, Fayetteville vs. Fox, Little Rock Catholic 10 a.m.

Martinez, Little Rock Central vs. Blake, FS Southside 10 a.m.

Finals, 1 p.m.

Semifinals

Emerson-Crawford, LR Central vs. B. Ellis-Shah, Bentonville 10 a.m.

Z. Ellis-Tabler, Bentonville vs. Bagwell-Dunn, Van Buren 10 a.m.

Finals, 1 p.m.

Semifinals

Hillyer, Bentonville vs. Gray, Russellville 10 a.m.

Ryan, Bentonville vs. Bailey, Mt. St. Mary’s 10 a.m.

Finals, 1 p.m.

Semifinals

Anderson-Kraus, Bentonville vs. Word-Word, Van Buren 10 a.m.

Liles-Randolph, Little Rock Central vs. Skinner-Kincannon, Southside 10 a.m.

Finals, 1 p.m.

Boys

1. Bentonville 6

2. Fayetteville 5

2. Little Rock Central 5

4. Fort Smith Southside 3

5. Little Rock Catholic 2

6. Van Buren 2

7. Rogers High 1

Girls

1. Bentonville 6

2. Mount St. Mary’s 4

2. FS Southside 4

4. Russellville 2

4. Van Buren 2

6. Rogers High 1

7. Rogers Heritage 1

Gordon Welch was shoved into action real quick for Springdale Har-Ber this season.

Starting tailback Tre Tyler broke his fibula on the eighth play of the season-opener against Greenwood, forcing Welch into service. Since then, Welch has been the most consistent runner in the conference and now leads the 7A-West Conference in rushing.

“He’s literally taken the ball and ran with it,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. “He’s iron-manned up for us.”

In Friday’s hard-earned 21-14 win against Rogers Heritage in overtime, Welch carried 35 times for 147 yards and all three of the Wildcats’ touchdowns.

“We really pounded him up in there,” Wood said. “It’s nothing fancy. It’s all between the tackles.”

Welch leads the conference in both carries with 167 and in rushing yards with 781. Three times this season, he’s had over 30 carries. Five times, he’s went over 100 yards rushing.

“It starts with the guys around him,” Wood said. “The offensive line has blocked well, and the receivers are blocking downfield.”

Friday night, Heritage just dared Har-Ber to run. Welch did.

“They had eight and nine guys in the box,” Wood said. “They knew what we were going to do, and that’s what we did.”

Welch brings a no-nonsense approach to the position for the Wildcats.

“His parents are hard-working down-to-earth people, and so is he,” Wood said. “He’s a blue-collar worker. He comes to work every day with a lunch pail. He’s very humble.”

Welch had 12 carries for 43 yards and no touchdowns last year as a sophomore in mop-up duty.

Friday night, Welch scored on a 3-yard run and a 14-yard in regulation before scoring on a 10-yard run on Har-Ber’s first play of overtime for the win.

Har-Ber Eyes Gauntlet
Har-Ber is No. 2 the Associated Press poll this week, but the Wildcats will be challenged the final three weeks of the regular season with Fort Smith Southside, Fayetteville and former No. 1 Bentonville waiting to knock them off their perch.

“It’s a gauntlet,” Wood said. “All three are very good. We’re aware of that. Fortunately, two of the three are at home.”

Southside visits Jarrell Williams Stadium this week and will be looking to bounce back from a 34-26 loss to Fayetteville.

“It will be a physical ball game,” Wood said. “Their coaching staff does as good a job as anyone in the conference as far as scheming for their opponents.”

That game will also be a rematch from last year’s semifinals, which Southside won, 8-7, with a late touchdown and two-point conversion.

Bentonville Seniors Make History
The rivalry between Bentonville and Rogers High is as old and storied as any in the state.
Friday, Bentonville’s seniors made history by becoming the first class to go undefeated in all three years against the rival Mountaineers.

“It was in the newspaper earlier in the week, and it was brought up after the game,” Bentonville coach Barry Lunney said. “It’s a long rivalry so it goes without saying when you can do something for the first time, it’s pretty special.”

Friday, Bentonville blanked Rogers, 48-0. Last year, Bentonville won 17-15. In 2007, the Tigers prevailed 28-0.

The win was also Bentonville’s biggest over Rogers since a 58-0 win in 1914.

Perfect Tigers
Bentonville was perfect on Friday against Rogers on possessions.

The Tigers did not punt, committed no turnovers and scored on all six offensive possessions.
“We were real efficient,” Lunney said. “We executed really well. We didn’t have any dropped passes. The passes were on target.”

Bentonville led 41-0 at halftime, applying the mercy rule to begin the second half with the continuously running clock. The Tigers scored on all five offensive possessions in the first half and added a defensive touchdown on Christian Larimer’s 33-yard interception return on the second play of the game.

“We were running the ball, and the clock was running,” Lunney said. “We took a lot of time off the clock in the third quarter and were running the ball with our second group in.”

Bentonville took the second-half kickoff and used up the first seven minutes, 17 seconds of the third quarter before scoring.

Bentonville did have a final possession to end the game running out the clock without scoring, which does not count in scoring efficiency.

End Of The Passing Era?
Passing is still the fancy around the state, but the trend is changing in the 7A-West. In 16 conference games played thus far, the team that rushes for the most yards is 14-2.

“It’s an interesting statistic,” said Lunney, who brought the pass-happy Spread attack to the conference in 1996 while at Southside. “I heard somebody on a college game on Saturday talking about the team with the most rushing yards usually wins. It’s still about the ability to run the football.”

Bentonville and Springdale Har-Ber are the leading rushing teams in the conference. Har-Ber is currently the top-ranked team in the state. Bentonville is the former No. 1 team in the state.

“I think we’re seeing an offensive evolution again,” Wood said. “It’s controlling the clock and controlling the game by running it.”

Har-Ber also has the best defense in the conference, which goes hand-in-hand with the philosophy of controlling the game.

“For us, we have a good defense so why would we throw the ball over and over, stopping the clock and extending the game,” Wood said. “We want to protect the ball and not take any chances with it.”

Many of the teams that are running the ball, however, are still in the one-back shotgun Spread attack but with certain philosophies of the Power-I, Wishbone, the Wing-T and Split-back veer.

“There is a little bit of all of each one of those in the Spread,” Wood said. “There are just variations.”

Teams are relying on defense, field position, ball-control offense like the conference did in the 1980s and 1990s.

“It’s like back in the day of Jarrell Williams and Joe Fred Young,” Wood said. “And those guys sure won their share of games.”

Remember When …
There was actually a 7A-West game that ended regulation in a scoreless tie?

In this modern age of offense, so-called basketball on grass and a barrage of scoring, in 2001 Fayetteville and Springdale actually played a scoreless tie in regulation.

Springdale quarterback Damon Moody broke the tie with a short touchdown run in overtime to lift the Red Bulldogs to 6-0 win over their purple rivals at Harmon Field.

Each team had 14 first downs, Fayetteville had 292 yards of offense while Springdale had 242.

It is the last time two 7A-West teams played to a scoreless tie in regulation and the lowest scoring game in the conference in the past eight years.

By Leland Barclay/Special To The Morning News

THAT FIGURES

0 — Turnovers and punts by Bentonville on Friday night
1 — Win needed by Bentonville’s seniors to tie last year’s senior class as the winningest in school history
3 — Scoreless quarters this season by Bentonville, including two in the fourth quarter of mercy-rule victories, out of 28 quarters played
6 — Straight times in which Springdale has defeated Fort Smith Northside at Jarrell Williams Stadium since Grizzlies won 23-12 in 1997
7 — Straight wins by Fayetteville over Fort Smith Southside, all during Daryl Patton’s tenure

BENTONVILLE — The future looks bright in the Bentonville backfield.

At the moment, sophomore DeMarcus Murphy and junior Raymond Shackelferd aren’t asked to provide many meaningful carries. Not with talented seniors Courtney Haskell and Shane Boedeker leading the 7A-West Conference’s top rushing attack.

But during the Tigers’ 48-0 victory Friday night over Rogers High, Murphy and Shackelferd showed what Bentonville’s running game will look like next season. Shackelferd rushed 15 times for a game-high 78 yards and Murphy logged six carries for 24 yards.

“They ran hard. They ran really well,” Lunney said. “I was proud of that. Raymond does a lot of scout team work during the week and runs hard for our defense, so it was good to see. It’s a good reward for them to be able to come in and execute.”

The Bentonville team of Zach Ellis and Matt Tabler is seeded second behind a Central team, but the sophomores won the 7A-West title by knocking off Zach’s older brother, Brandon, and Varun Shah.

Pautsch said he’s happy the elder Ellis’ team is matched against the top Central team.

“Brandon can handle the pressure,” Pautsch said. “He can handle the pressure.”

Two players were suspended prior to the conference tournament, but Brandon Ellis has taken a stronger leadership role, Pautsch said.

“I’ve waited for the last year for him to step up, but he’s done it,” Pautsch said. “Brandon’s really done a great job.”

The Lady Tigers’ doubles team of Kendall Kraus and Amy Anderson come in as the top seed.

“There’s not doubt they’re one of the best doubles team in the state,” Pautsch said. “Amy Anderson is a three-time conference champion.”

Oksana Hillyer, who lost in the state singles finals a year ago, and teammate Morgan Ryan, will be keys to the Lady Tigers’ chances of a sixth state title.

“The (Rebecca) Bailey girl from Mount St. Mary is the best player in the state,” Pautsch said.

Fayetteville’s Rob Hodous could also make a run at a boys singles title. Hodous is the top seed in the draw.

There are also several area players who qualified for the Class 4A Tournament to be played in Arkadelphia.

On the girls’ side, Shiloh Christian’s Alisha Hedgecock will play in the singles draw along with teammates Bailey Riggins and Shannie Suttie, who qualified in doubles. Farmington’s team of Shylene Scott and Plearn Seripumitapap, who won the 4A-1 conference title, will face a team from Nashville.

Shiloh’s Ross Naber and Daniel Evans will play boys doubles, while Shiloh’s Andrew Evans and Farmington’s Blake Cutter qualified in boys singles.

“To win this race, it says a lot about him, he’s having a great year,” said Thane Garnett, College Heights Christian’s cross country coach. “He was pretty determined to finish well in this race, and I think he showed it.”

In the girls invitational, Greenhill High’s (near Dallas, Texas) Chelsey Sveinsson won for the third straight year with a time of 17:32.71. Sveinsson, a senior, is one of the top long-distance runners in Texas and is hopeful she can continue doing so next year on a collegiate scholarship.

“This is one of the races that I look forward to the most during the season,” said Sveinsson, who was disappointed with her finishing time. “I really just wasn’t feeling it, but like my mom told me, I’m just happy again to win it.”

Fayetteville’s boys team finished fifth overall with 261 points while Bentonville’s girls team finished sixth with 206 points.

Fayetteville’s Austin Simkins had the highest finish among area competitors, finishing sixth with a time of 16:06.19. Elkins’ Grace Heymsfield also finished fifth with a time of 18:24.48.

2009 Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival

The Tigers forced a punt on the next possession and scored in eight plays on junior Pearson Gean’s 1-yard quarterback sneak. Larimer picked off another Conley pass on Rogers’ first ensuing play, and Bentonville needed only two plays to lead 20-0 when senior Courtney Haskell surged in from 6 yards out.

Haskell’s second touchdown of the night, a 7-yarder late in the first quarter, put the Tigers up 27-0.

Peacock inserted Graham Parker at quarterback late in the first quarter, and the junior did lead the Mounties to four first downs. Still, the Tigers added two more touchdowns in the second quarter and finished the first half with a 257-58 advantage in total yards.

Gean’s 9-yard roll-out touchdown pass to senior Austin Griffith with 46 seconds left in the half ensured the second half would start with a running clock. Gean finished the night 12-of-13 with 126 passing yards, all in the first half.

“It was a struggle for us early (on the ground), and we have to be diverse on offense,” Bentonville coach Barry Lunney said. “The kids caught the ball well, and Pearson threw it well. It was very good offensive execution.”

The only downer for Bentonville: A possible season-ending injury to Hayden Boydston. The senior linebacker suffered an ACL injury to his right knee on the opening kickoff of the second half, and Lunney said he was still awaiting MRI results.

Despite being bummed about Boydston’s injury, Lunney seemed optimistic about the state of his team.

“(Friday night) meant a lot because we’re hitting the stretch right now where we’re competing for a conference championship,” Lunney said. “(Offense, defense and special teams) are going to have to all come together if you want to compete for it, and it was good to see that out there.”

BENTONVILLE 48, ROGERS HIGH 0

Rogers High    0    0    0    0    —    0
Bentonville    27    14    7    0    —    48
First Quarter
Bent — Larimer 33 interception return (Levin kick), 11:07
Bent — Gean 1 run (Levin kick), 5:43
Bent — Haskell 6 run (kick failed), 4:34
Bent — Haskell 7 run (Levin kick), :42
Second Quarter
Bent — Boedeker 5 run (Levin kick), 7:53
Bent — Griffith 9 pass from Gean (Levin kick), :46
Third Quarter
Bent — Shackelferd 2 run (Levin kick), 4:43

Rog    Ben
First Downs    5    22
Rushes-Yards    14-30    45-238
Passing Yards    47    148
Comp-Att-Int    7-14-2    12-13-0
Punts    4-32.3    0
Fumbles-Lost    0-0    2-0
Penalites-Yards    6-32    4-30

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Rogers, Parker 8-29, Austin 2-13, Carpenter 1-2, Conley 1-2, Oller 1-(minus 3), TEAM 1-(minus 13). Bentonville, Shackelferd 15-78, Boedeker 6-69, Haskell 11-45, Murphy 6-24, Gean 4-15, Sanderlin 1-3, Hardison 1-2, McKane 1-2.
PASSING—Rogers, Parker 6-11-0-44, Conley 1-5-2-3. Bentonville, 10-11-0-126, Sanderlin 2-2-0-22.
RECEIVING—Rogers, Melton 3-15, Oller 2-24, Fountain 1-5, Parker 1-3. Bentonville, Edwards 3-40, Gneiting 2-34, Griffith 2-25, Snow 2-23, Trudo 1-10, Cole 1-9, Vanderpool 1-8.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

If Holden can continue his consistent play this season with Bentonville, Mahan said, the offers will likely start piling up. Not that Holden’s motivation stems from impressing college coaches.

For now, Holden remains content blocking with his four friends up front and opening holes for the 7A-West Conference’s leading rushing attack. Holden said he’ll worry later about his football future. These days, he simply enjoys the comfort level achieved by him, Petersen, junior Marcus Danenhauer and seniors Jonathan Mortensen and Matt Hoffman.

“When you play with guys for a long time, you start to know what they do and they know what you do,” Holden said. “Everything just feels right. We know each other so well. When fronts move around, I’ll say one word, and we’ll all know what we’re doing. It makes it a lot easier.”

Football didn’t initially seem this simple to Holden, however. In fact, he didn’t start playing the sport until the ninth grade. Holden succeeded immediately, even as he appeared lost, using his physicality and what Bentonville coach Barry Lunney calls “outstanding feet” to mask his mental shortcomings.

Mahan and Lunney both remembered the first time they saw Holden at a ninth-grade workout, one of his first-ever football practices.

“You could tell he didn’t really know what was going on,” Mahan said. “But man, he was real strong and real quick.”

Holden quickly ascended up Bentonville’s depth chart, starting by the sixth week of his sophomore season. He has started every game since, constantly providing valuable leadership and crushing blocks for the Tigers.

He gained strength after his freshman and sophomore years — because of a body “that’s built for the weight room,” Mahan said — and mastered Bentonville’s blocking schemes this past summer. Holden’s even started to play defensive tackle the past two weeks, logging about 15 snaps against Fort Smith Southside and Rogers Heritage.

“These first six games, he’s been the most consistent guy on our line,” Mahan said. “He’s played with a passion, and he’s played so physical. I have a lot of trust and confidence in him.”

Holden doesn’t always display the toughness he takes out on opponents

He’s a constant jokester, always quick to make coaches and teammates laugh, often at their own expense. Holden also possesses a love for video games, spending plenty of nights on his Xbox 360, challenging his fellow linemen in online games of Call of Duty.

But every Friday night, he sets the jokes and games aside and becomes the talented guard Mahan pleads with coaches to watch.

“A couple of my friends say I’m different on Friday nights than any other time,” Holden said. “I don’t really realize it. But they say they love me. Apparently, I get pretty intense. The way I think, I’ve got to be that way. I’m only average size, so I have to be aggressive. I have to move forward. If I’m not aggressive, I’ll just be pushed back.”

And Holden rarely lets that happen.

BENTONVILLE — The Bentonville Lady Tigers had no room for error in the singles and doubles finals at the 7A-West Conference tennis tournament Wednesday at the Walton Life and Fitness Center.

It turned out to be an error-free effort by the Lady Tigers.

Bentonville’s Amy Anderson and Kendall Kraus were never threatened in the doubles finals and Oksana Hillyer defended her singles championship to lead the Lady Tigers to the league title.

Anderson-Kraus defeated Southside’s Lindsey Skinner and Cassidy Kincannon 6-2, 6-3 while Hillyer defeated Southside’s Ali Grahl 6-2, 6-4.

The Tigers already had the conference championship wrapped up heading into the finals but the Tigers made it official when Zach Ellis and Matt Tabler defeated teammates Brandon Ellis and Varun Shah 6-7, 6-3, 10-7 in the boys’ doubles finals.

Fayetteville’s Rob Hodous won the boys’ singles title with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over the Rebels’ Bill Blake.

The Lady Tigers have now won the last seven league titles but Bentonville coach Paul Pautsch couldn’t celebrate until Hillyer recorded her fourth service break to finish off Grahl in the second set of a match that was closer than the final indicates.

“(Anderson-Kraus) are the best doubles team in the state and I will stand behind that,” Pautsch said. “Their win today solidifies that. That was a tough match (for Hillyer).”

Zach Ellis and Tabler are now 12-0 in doubles matches this season and Pautsch said the two sophomores should do well at next week’s state tournament in Fayetteville.

“You have to give credit to Zach and Matt, they played it right,” Pautsch said. “They had the opportunity and they took it. They played well all year.”

Rogers’ Trent Lamers and Adam Hile will be the third seed in boys doubles at the state tournament after the pair defeated Patrick Shields and Reed Churchill 4-6, 6-2, 13-11 in the third-place match. Shields-Churchill were seeded No. 1.

“I thought that was the best tennis that they played this year,” said Rogers coach Steve Peck. “That was huge the way they came back.”

7A-West Conference Tennis Tournament

Girls Singles
Finals
Hillyer, Bentonville defeated Grahl, Forth Smith Southside 6-2, 6-4

Girls Doubles
Finals
Anderson-Kraus, Bentonville defeated Skinner-Kincannon 6-2, 6-3

Boys Singles
Finals
Hodous, Fayetteville defeated Blake, Fort Smith Southside 6-3, 6-1

Boys Doubles
Finals
Z. Ellis-Tabler, Bentonville defeated B. Ellis-Shah, Bentonville 6-7, 6-3, 10-7