Frazier is busy trying to lead one-loss Shiloh Christian to another Class 4A state championship. Allen is occupied with hopes of leading 4-2-1 Fayetteville to a 7A-West Conference title. And all the while, they’re each dealing with the daily demands of an already exhaustive recruiting process.

The situation is simply unprecedented in Northwest Arkansas. Forget the personal connection between Allen and Frazier for a moment. All of the country’s top college head coaches, offensive coordinators and quarterbacks coaches have sent letters or visited the area. And they haven’t contacted one quarterback over the other. Most want to sway both of them.

“I can’t recall a time when two quarterbacks in the same class were as good as Brandon and Kiehl,” Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. “They’re different quarterbacks, but they both have unbelievable God-given ability and talent. To have both of those kids here in the area, and maybe both go to Arkansas, I think you could be set at that position for a long time.”

Top Of The Class

Even in recent years, the state of Arkansas has sent quality quarterbacks to stand out at Division I schools.

Mitch Mustain of Springdale started for the Razorbacks as a freshman and has since moved on to USC. Kodi Burns of Fort Smith headed to Auburn before switching to wide receiver. Ryan Mallett spent many of his childhood years in Lincoln before becoming the Hogs’ current signal caller.

But as Patton said, it’s hard to remember a time when two quarterbacks of that caliber entered college at the same time. Especially two who look the part of a pro-style quarterback the way Allen and Frazier do. They both stand 6-foot-3, and Frazier weighs only seven pounds heavier (212) than Allen (205).

“It’s the best Division I quarterback class that I’ve ever seen,” said Dudley Dawson, recruiting editor for Hawgs Illustrated. “That’s including Allen, Frazier, (Dumas quarterback Darion) Griswold and a couple others. That said, Brandon and Kiehl are right at the top of it.”

Dawson said Allen and Frazier each possess the physical talents and mental attributes needed to impress any school. Their respective willingness to improve on identified weaknesses has helped them on two fronts, Dawson said.

On the field. And in the minds of college coaches.

“Kiehl has shown so much development since last year,” Dawson said. “He used to be a guy that just got stuff done with his feet and flung the ball. He’s turned into a guy who has pinpoint accuracy and great footwork, and he’s certainly a dual-threat quarterback.”

Dawson also lauded Allen’s improved mobility and throwing accuracy.

“He can make any of the throws,” Dawson said. “He has the strongest arm of the top three, and he certainly has shed the label this year that he has no mobility. He’s run for tons of yards and he runs hard.”

The fact Dawson described different flaws and different improvements for Allen and Frazier proves that — despite their similar builds — these really are two different quarterbacks.

Mentally, however, they each revealed this offseason they could learn from criticism and develop as leaders.

Getting Better

The interceptions piled up fast for Allen in 2008.

He threw 20 of them, in fact, and Patton and Fayetteville offensive coordinator Jared McBride could only grimace as Allen continued to struggle down the stretch. But both coaches could see glimpses of greatness. Allen still tossed 30 touchdowns and showed off a powerful arm that resulted in a plethora of dropped passes.

So this summer, Allen worked daily on his footwork and decision-making with McBride — a former UA quarterback. Patton has seen vast improvement, and Allen admitted he’s “making better decisions than ever.”

“Brandon’s done a great job of stepping up in the pocket, relying less on his feet and trusting his receivers,” Patton said. “Last year, it seemed like he was a little gun-shy every time something didn’t look right. He’d move his feet and lose track of his receivers down the field.”

“He’s much better at not forcing the football and at throwing it away, as well.”

Allen’s offseason commitment has resulted in a massive turnaround in his touchdown-to-interception ratio. He has 18 touchdowns to only three interceptions this season.

McBride also commented that Allen’s demeanor has changed as a junior. Surrounded by many seniors last season, Allen deferred his role as a leader for the Bulldogs. Now, he doesn’t hold back — not as much, at least.

“He’s one of the best leaders I’ve been around,” Patton said. “He’s a winner and has great confidence in his abilities, but he’s not one of those ‘look-at-me’ kind of guys who draws attention to himself. The kids would go through brick walls for him. Brandon doesn’t speak a lot, but when he does speak, it’s like dropping 1,000 bricks. Everyone pays attention.”

Frazier has evolved in a similar way this season, Shiloh Christian coach Josh Floyd said, but his quarterback still remains pretty subdued during games.

That quiet confidence has stemmed from Frazier’s offseason regimen that took place just as much inside as outside. Frazier spent countless hours over the summer in front of a TV, watching film from last season when he split time with David Matthews.

“I didn’t really know all that was going on last year,” Frazier said. “I knew I had to get better chemistry with my receivers.”

Floyd said Frazier learned from his mistakes and has nearly mastered the Saints’ offense, allowing him to identify his reads much quicker. Too often last season, Frazier simply scrambled for yardage — partly because he could, partly because he gave up on his receivers.

But Frazier appears in complete control now, which has helped during tense situations, Floyd said.

“The thing with Kiehl that I love is he’s very calm,” Floyd said. “The game could be on the line and he may be smiling, but he’s not bothered by things. He’s not a Tim Tebow who goes around yelling at his teammates, but at the same time, he’s directing the offense and he knows where every person is supposed to go.

“That wasn’t the case last year. Last year, he just tried to make sure what he was supposed to do.”

In It Together

Maybe these two quarterbacks have found it so easy to relate because of their similarities, exemplified by their persistent work in the offseason. Floyd and Patton each used the word “humble” several times during interviews to describe their quarterbacks.

Allen and Frazier both expressed genuine admiration and respect when asked to tell their impressions of the other. And that’s certainly part of what has excited college recruiters.

The process has been intriguing thus far, to be sure, not that the two quarterback buddies have discussed their recruiting dramas much.

“We don’t really talk about football,” Frazier said. “We just talk about girls and school and stuff like that. Every now and then, I’ll ask him where he likes and wants to go, and he’ll do the same. But that’s not what we’re interested in right now.”

Frazier has received seven scholarship offers — the biggest names being Arkansas, Auburn and Miami — and should get plenty more. In fact, he took an unofficial visit to Notre Dame last Saturday. Meanwhile, Allen has only one offer — from Arkansas — as schools seem scared off by the fact his father, Bobby, is an assistant coach for the Razorbacks.

They have spoken in the past about the possibility of suiting up together for the Hogs — and subsequently, competing against each other. For now, however, they don’t see one another as quarterbacks competing for scholarships, despite the endless comparisons.

Allen and Frazier view themselves as friends, simple as that. Frazier even said he wanted to challenge Allen at his favorite video game — NCAA Football 2010.

“It’s nice to be able to talk to Kiehl about other stuff, regular stuff, you know,” Allen said. “One day, we’ll get into all the college talk a lot, I’m sure. But neither of us has wanted to. And that’s fine with me.”

Nolan drove the Rebels’ to the Purple Dogs’ 37 before being intercepted on the final play of the game. The Rebels turned the ball over five times.

“Brandon Allen had fever and was throwing up, and we were feeding him chicken noodle soup at halftime,” Patton said. “That’s the way legends are made.”

Allen completed 30 of 49 passes.

Nolan, who had three touchdown passes of his own, gave the Rebels a 26-21 lead in the fourth by hitting Quai Anderson with a 55-yard touchdown pass.

After Allen’s 8-yard TD pass to Michael Heintzman put the PurpleDogs ahead 27-26, Southside was down for the count when the Nolan-to-McGee pass was wiped out.

“I knew it was close,” Patton said. “When they (officials) went back and looked at it, that was huge.”

“That was real disappointing,” Southside coach Jeff Williams said. “That was the play of the game. We didn’t get the break, and I don’t know why.”

Fayetteville converted three straight third-and-longs on its first series, moving from its 19 to the Rebels’ 17.

But Drew Patton missed a 34-yard field goal attempt, hooking the ball wide left.

After a three-and-out, Fayetteville drove 56 yards for its first touchdown. Again, Allen made things look easy as the PurpleDogs took a 6-0 lead on Allen’s 1-yard run with 49 seconds left in the first quarter.

The PurpleDogs, who outgained Southside, 119 yards to a negative two in the first quarter, saw their lead disappear on the Rebels second possession.

Facing third-and-seven, Nolan hit Anderson with a 54-yard reception to the PurpleDogs’ 13. Three plays later, Lee Hollis bulled in from the 2 to give the Rebels a 7-6 lead.

Fayetteville responded on its next series when Allen hit Josh Hale with a 30-yard strike down the center of the field. Southside blocked the PAT and trailed 12-7 with 8:20 left in the first half.

— KEVIN TAYLOR/TR

FAYETTEVILLE 34, FS SOUTHSIDE 26

Fayettevile    6    6    9    13    —    34
Southside    0    14    6    6    —    26
First Quarter
Fay — Allen 1 run (kick failed), :49
Second Quarter
South — Hollis 2 run (Gallo kick), 10:50
Fay — J. Hale 30 pass from Allen (kick blocked), 8:20
South — Anderson 47 pass from Au. Nolan (Gallo kick), 3:18
Third Quarter
Fay — FG Rosteck 33, 4:34
South — Falleur 22 pass from Au. Nolan (Gallo kick), 2:09
Fay — Heintzman 19 pass from Allen (pass failed), :04
Fourth Quarter
South — Anderson 55 pass from Au. Nolan (pass failed), 9:16
Fay — Heintzman 8 pass from Allen (pass failed), 4:14
Fay — Hale 15 run (Rosteck kick), 1:17

Fay    South
First Downs    25    14
Rushes-Yards    26-78    24-47
Passing Yards    345    306
Comp-Att-Int    30-49-0    11-36-1
Fumbles-Lost    1-1    4-4
Punts    6-33.3    5-35.2
Penalties-Yards    9-105    8-50

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing—Fayetteville, Hale 12-41, Allen 10-28, Heintzman 3-15, Gorton 1-(minus 6). Southside, Au. Nolan 7-27, Hollis 6-15, Adair 10-5
Passes—Fayetteville, Allen 30-49-0-345. Southside, Au. Nolan 11-36-1-306.
Receivers—Fayetteville, J. Hale 7-129, Heintzman 7-81, D. Hale 6-52, Dean 5-52, Underwood 3-17, Smith 1-9, Holmes 1-5. Southside, Anderson 4-165, A. Nolan 2-64, Falleur 2-30, Hood 1-32, Jones 1-16, Hollis 1-(minus 1).

FAYETTEVILLE — Nathan Grady’s first start was a productive one for Fayetteville.

The Purple’Dogs senior didn’t play football the last two years, but his return paid off in a 37-27 win over Fort Smith Northside last week. Grady, starting at safety for the first time, had double-digit tackles, an interception and knocked down two passes.

Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said after watching film of the game that Grady earned the most points of any defensive player this season.

“He was just all over the place,” Patton said. “He gives us a guy that has speed and is very versatile.

“He’s got a nose for the football.”

Grady wasn’t the only member of Fayetteville’s secondary to play well against the Grizzlies. Junior Drake Harrison had a key third-quarter interception as the Purple’Dogs rallied from down 27-23.

“It was the best, by far, our secondary has played,” Patton said.

Fayetteville (3-2-1 overall, 2-1 7A-West Conference) has now won two straight and travels to Fort Smith Southside on Friday.

Northside (2-4, 0-3) fell behind 17-0 midway through the second quarter before the Grizzlies got the offense going. Knight hit Jerald Shepard for a 54-yard touchdown to trim the deficit to 10 with 6 minutes, 52 seconds left in the first half.

On its next possession, Northside got its homecoming crowd back into the game as Arthur Poole took a screen pass and raced 90 yards for a touchdown to close the gap to 17-14.

“We got right back in it after they jumped on us early,” Henry said. “We had a chance and then we went ahead but we just couldn’t get a stop when we needed it.”

Fayetteville scored first in the second half as Dylan Hale raced 42 yards for a touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 23-14 lead, but Northside quickly answered.

Shaquille Jones hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass, on fourth-and-6 with 4:37 in the third to cut the deficit to 23-20. Then Donnie Jones took a screen pass from Knight and went 21 yards for the go-ahead score with 2:30 left in the quarter.

Fayetteville quarterback Brandon Allen completed 29 of 56 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns and an interception, while Northside’s Knight had his fifth 300-yard effort in as many games. Knight was 27-of-51 with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

— Bobby Swofford/TR

FAYETTEVILLE 37, FS NORTHSIDE 27

Fayetteville    10    7    6    14    —    37
Northside    0    14    13    0    —    27
First Quarter
Fay — Dean 15 pass from Allen (Patton kick), 8:39
Fay — FG Patton 47, 2:01
Second Quarter
Fay — Dean 31 pass from Allen (Patton kick), 7:56
Nor — Shepard 54 pass from Knight (Martinez kick), 6:52
Nor — Poole 90 pass from Knight (Martinez kick), 4:51
Third Quarter
Fay — Hale 42 run (kick failed), 7:52
Nor — S. Jones 25 pass from Knight (kick failed), 4:37
Nor — D. Jones 21 pass from Knight (Martinez kick), 2:30
Fourth Quarter
Fay — Dean 6 pass from Allen (Patton kick), 11:19
Fay — Heintzman 13 pass from Allen (Patton kick), 4:00

Fay    North
First Downs    22    14
Rushes-Yards    21-105    18-43
Passing Yards    351    308
Comp-Att-Int    29-56-1    27-51-2
Punts    6-36.0    6-33.5
Fumbles-Lost    4-0    2-1
Penalties-Yards    10-103    6-36

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Fayetteville,  Hale 7-63, Allen 9-32, Jordan 2-26, TEAM 3-(minus 16). Northside, Knight 13-27, D. Jones 5-15.
PASSING—Fayetteville, Allen 29-56-1-351. Northside, Knight 27-51-2-308.
RECEIVING—Fayetteville, Heintzman 13-155, Dean 6-96, D. Hale 4-41, Jordan 4-40, J. Hale 2-19. Northside, Poole 10-158, S. Jones 6-43, D. Jones 4-32, Shepard 3-63, Williams 3-12.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

FAYETTEVILLE — Bobby Nefzger has never been the type to question authority.

The Fayetteville senior excels at nearly everything he takes part in, and that’s saying something since he is involved in so many activities. And by all accounts, he does so in the most clean-cut and by-the-book way possible.

It’s ironic, then, that the one time he considered staging a sort of quasi-rebellion was when he was asked by Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton to switch positions — to one that would put him on the field more. Nefzger, who had played every position from fullback to linebacker and offensive line since moving to Fayetteville in seventh grade, began his junior season as a defensive end.

There, at 195 pounds, he could utilize his speed and quickness. When Patton asked Nefzger to move to defensive tackle so he could play more, he wasn’t quite sure his weight (or lack thereof) would bring with it the same effectiveness.

“That was one of the first times I thought about challenging a coach’s decision,” Nefzger said. “I asked them, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure you picked the right guy for this?’”

Patton was sure because he wanted Nefzger, with his seemingly limitless energy, on the field more. And while the move didn’t come without some lessons along the way against larger linemen, it has paid off this season.

“Last year there were times he was overmatched physical,” Patton said. “But this year there’s no one who has dominated him. He’s playing at a high, intense rate. He’s strong and he’s working harder than everyone else, and he creates a new line of scrimmage.

“He just wants to be successful in everything he does.”

Fayetteville’s defense has struggled in its first two conference games, allowing an average of 47 points, but before that the Purple’Dogs had allowed an average of 15.3 points in three nonconference games. Despite the recent struggles, Fayetteville’s coaches insist Nefzger’s production hasn’t slowed. Now at 205 pounds and stronger after an offseason of strength building, he had a pair of sacks and another tackle for a loss in a tie with Russellville and has consistently been one of the Purple’Dogs performers.

“Eventually I learned how to use the speed that I have,” Nefzger said. “I don’t really care though about my personal stats. I’m not trying to make a highlight tape. Our team is the most important thing.”

First-year Fayetteville defensive coordinator Brian Early was hired by Purple’Dogs this summer after coaching at the University of Central Arkansas. Fayetteville already had a preliminary depth chart with Nefzger in the middle of the defense when Early arrived, but he admitted to having doubts about whether Nefzger could play defensive tackle when he first saw them.

That is until he saw Nefzger in action.

“When you work with him in drills and you can see why he’s an all-conference-type player,” Early said. “You just wish that everybody had his type of tempo and motor.

“When he’s shown how something is supposed to be done, he’s going to break his back to try and do things that way.”

Each year, Patton likes to choose one player to represent the team as a captain. He rotates several of the spots, but one player stays the same throughout the year. This year, choosing Nefzger was never in doubt.

“I truly believe he’s that guy,” Patton said. “He’s a guy I can count on. You wish you had 11 of him out there. He’s that good.

“He’s the voice out on the field for me.”

The annual rivalry between Fayetteville and Springdale High was delayed a day, but it was well worth the wait.

The teams battled, literally, to the very end with the Purple Bulldogs pulling out a frenetic 50-49 win over the rival Red Bulldogs.

Junior quarterback Brandon Allen led Fayetteville, completing 32 of 56 passes for 464 yards and 4 touchdowns and added 49 yards on the ground with a 10-yard scoring run with 10 seconds left. He also completed the game-tying two-point conversion pass to Demetrius Dean.

“We wanted to go to Josh Hale,” Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. “(Springdale) walked their safety down, and there was a collision at the line of scrimmage. That forced Brandon to go from his first read. It wasn’t a great play call or anything from us. It was just a great play by Brandon and Demetrius. He worked to get open, and Brandon threw a jump-ball pass. With the big body Demetrius has, it’s hard to guard him.”

Dean came down the two-point pass in the back of the end zone to secure the win in the annual Battle of the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon

Allen’s day was a career high for passing yards personally, the second-best in school history behind only Zak Clark’s 492 yards against El Dorado in the playoffs in 1997. It is tied for fourth-best in the state’s largest classification with Springdale’s Ashton Glaser from last year.

Obviously, the Bulldogs counted on Allen tremendously on Saturday.

“Well, we really did,” Patton said. “We were in the Spread with four and five wide the entire game. We felt like it gave us the best chance to win. He really threw the ball well.”

This season, Allen has only thrown two interceptions, including none on Saturday.

Allen’s decision-making has also improved over his sophomore season. On Saturday, Allen ran 10 yards for the touchdown with 10 seconds left after not finding an open receiver.

Fayetteville still had a timeout left on the final play, which gave Allen the option of passing or running if need be.

“We told him if he needs to run it, then run it,” Patton said. “If he got tackled inbounds, we still had time to down it quickly. (Springdale) covered the receivers in the end zone. They pressured him, and he sprinted out. He took off, made a good cut and dived in for the touchdown.”

Allen leads the conference in passing with 1,556 yards and will likely pass the 5,000-yard mark for his career next week, though he’s possibly less than halfway through his junior season. He has thrown for 4,840 yards and 41 touchdowns now in 15 games.

Defenses Shine
Despite 1,106 yards, 14 offensive touchdowns and 55 first downs in the game between Fayetteville and Springdale, defense was played in the conference this weekend.

Fort Smith Southside, Springdale Har-Ber and Rogers Heritage allowed an average of just 181 yards of offense in their victories on Friday night. Those three teams also forced a combined 18 punts and eight turnovers.

Southside took advantage of three turnovers by Bentonville while keeping possession for 32 minutes, 4 seconds. That allowed the Rebels to hold a 66-46 advantage in the number of offensive plays.

“We had all of the field position,” Southside coach Jeff Williams said. “Even when we were backed up, we’d get some first downs and turn the field. We got some turnovers, we ran the ball well and made some plays on third down. The kids played hard.”

Springdale Har-Ber continues to lead the league in defense as it has from the beginning of the season.
The Wildcats are allowing just 145 yards per game and has allowed just seven touchdowns by the opponent’s offense in five games.

“Whoever has the best defense is going to win it,” Williams said. “You have to stop somebody sometime.”

Remember When …
Fort Smith Southside last defeated a No. 1 ranked team, according to the Associated Press’s statewide poll?

Southside downed No. 1 Bentonville on Friday night, 31-21, at newly-christened Jim Rowland Stadium.

“We’ll probably have to play some more number ones,” Williams said. “Everybody in this conference is ranked high. We don’t pay much attention to that. In this conference, it’s just survival. You try to get into the playoffs and get on a roll. Nobody hands out trophies in October.”

It’s the first time the Rebels have defeated the top-ranked team in the state since a 9-0 win against Springdale in 1992 in what was a battle between No. 1 and No. 2. Since that time, the top-ranked team in the state has been beaten 29 times during the regular season. Eleven of those defeats were by teams from the 7A-West Conference.

No recent season has been as volatile than that 1992 season.

Four times that season, the top-ranked team in the state, all from the West, was defeated. Southside twice was the top-ranked team and lost; in Week 4 to Russellville and Week 10 to Fort Smith Northside. Three weeks after defeating Southside, top-ranked Russellville lost to Springdale. The Bulldogs assumed the top spot and promptly lost to Southside. The Rebels took over the top spot, held it for a week and lost to rival Northside to close out the season.

In the end, Southside claimed the state title with a 21-6 win over Pine Bluff for the Rebels’ second-straight state title.

That Figures

Following are some final figures from Saturday’s game between Springdale High and Fayetteville:

1,106 — Yards of offense
145 — Offensive plays
55 — First downs
15 — Plays on Springdale’s opening drive
14 — Offensive touchdowns
11 — Plays on Fayetteville’s final game-winning drive
7 — Scoring drives by each team in nine possessions
6 — Ties in the game
1 — Failed fourth-down attempt by each team
1 — Punt by each team
0 — Turnovers

FAYETTEVILLE — There’s a reason the Springdale High-Fayetteville game has always been tabbed the Battle of the Bulldogs.

On Saturday afternoon at Harmon Field, both teams did just that — battling to the very last play of the game with as much offensive firepower as possible.

The shootout finally ended when Fayetteville (2-2-1, 1-1 7A-West Conference) capped off an 11-play drive in the last two minutes of the game with a 10-yard touchdown run from quarterback Brandon Allen. The Purple’Dogs then pulled ahead when junior Demetrius Dean caught a two-point conversion pass from Allen, giving Fayetteville an exhilarating 50-49 victory.

The catch by Dean completed a breakout day for the junior receiver, who’s struggled mightily this season. Dean not only caught the go-ahead conversion pass, but finished with 10 catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in the second half.

Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said he decided to go for the win at the end of regulation because he feared his team’s defense wouldn’t be able to stop Springdale’s potent offense in overtime, something the Purple’Dogs failed to do throughout the game.

“I just felt like we needed to win or lose it,” said Patton, who added that Saturday’s version of the Battle of the Bulldogs was the greatest in its more than 100-year history. “We needed to control that destiny. (Springdale) has a great offense, we couldn’t stop them all day. They probably had 900 yards of offense, I’m not sure. But when we scored, I felt it was make or break, we had to get it done right then.”

Fayetteville’s offense, which rolled up 558 total yards, was led by Allen, who completed 32 of 56 passes for 464 yards and three touchdowns. Allen also ran for 49 yards and two touchdowns.

Besides the big day from Dean, Fayetteville’s Michael Heintzman also caught six passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 26 yards and another score.

Springdale interim coach Dennis DeBusk said the loss was especially tough to accept because of how bad the game’s officials called the contest.

“In (Fayetteville’s) last drive, Allen sprinted across the line of scrimmage to throw passes, I thought that was against the rules,” DeBusk said, “but apparently the referee on the other side of the field didn’t see it, which he didn’t see a whole lot most of the evening.

“Guys, I’m one of the nicest coaches in this conference. I’ve officiated basketball for 20 something years, I know officials, I work with officials and everything. This was as poor of a job in officiating as I’ve seen in a long, long time. And that’s a quote.”

The Red’Dogs (2-3, 0-2) matched Fayetteville in nearly every offensive category, finishing with a season-high 30 first downs, 206 rushing yards and 342 passing yards.

The biggest performance came from senior tailback Tyler Yager, who had 34 carries for 164 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the first half. Junior quarterback Joseph Calcagni also completed 28 passes for two touchdowns.

“Both teams struggled defensively, and that’s a credit to how great of an offensive ballgame this was,” DeBusk said. “Both teams had offenses that were incredible. And give Fayettevilled credit, they earned everything they did.”

Perhaps the most incredible part of the game was neither team had a single turnover and both teams — they combined for 1,106 yards of total offense — only punted once and were both 2 of 3 on fourth-down conversions.

“It was an awesome game,” Dean said. “This was a game we needed, we needed a win in every way possible. I just tried to do my part. It was tough for everybody, but coming out on top in a game like this feels incredible.”

FAYETTEVILLE 50, SPRINGDALE HIGH 49

Springdale    7    14    14    14    —    49
Fayetteville    7    14    14    15    —    50
First Quarter
Spring — Yager 3 run (Garcia kick), 5:51
Fay — Heintzman 2 run (Patton kick), 3:24
Second Quarter
Spring — Yager 2 run (Garcia kick), 11:57
Fay — Heintzman 15 pass from Allen (Patton kick), 7:10
Fay — Allen 48 run (Patton kick), 1:40
Spring — Yager 1 run (Garcia kick), :25
Third Quarter
Spring — Yager 45 run (Garcia kick), 8:24
Fay — Dean 3 pass from Allen (Patton kick), 6:08
Spring — Bocchino 10 pass from Calcagni (Garcia kick), 2:52
Fay — Heintzman 45 pass from Allen (Patton kick), 1:30
Fourth Quarter
Spring — Bocchino 3 pass from Calcagni (Garcia kick), 7:29
Fay — Dean 10 pass from Allen (Patton kick), 5:17
Spring — Barkey 8 run (Garcia kick), 1:53
Fay — Allen 10 run (Dean pass from Allen), :10

Spring    Fay
First Downs    30    25
Rushes-Yards    43-206    13-94
Passing Yards    342    464
Comp-Att-Int    28-33-0    32-56-0
Punts    1-46.0    1-37.0
Fumbles-Lost        2-0    1-0
Penalties-Yards    6-44    5-31

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Springdale, Yager 30-164, Barkey 8-29, Clinard 2-7, Calcagni 2-5, Johnson 1-1. Fayetteville, Allen 5-49, Heintzman 3-26, D. Hale 4-17, Dean 1-2.
PASSING—Springdale, Calcagni 28-33-0-342. Fayetteville, Allen 32-56-0-464.
RECEIVING—Springdale, Barkey 10-99, Bocchino 9-131, Fogg 4-56, Yager 3-18, Weir 2-38. Fayetteville, Dean 10-91, J. Hale 9-166, Heintzman 6-130, Underwood 3-33, Jordan 2-9, Smith 1-23, D. Hale 1-12.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

“For whatever reason, we just weren’t ready to play.”

Fayetteville, coming off a lopsided 45-10 loss against top-ranked Bentonville, is hoping it can improve an offense that’s averaged 21.3 points in four games this year.

Allen, statistically the second-best quarterback in the conference, has completed 69 passes for 1,092 yards and six touchdowns. Most of Allen’s passes have found senior Michael Heintzman, who’s caught 20 of them for 419 yards and five touchdowns.

“We know we have a long way to go to get where we want to,” Patton said. “We need to improve on a daily basis. I’ve been very, very pleased with our practices this week. Hopefully we can take that practice effort and intensity into the game (tonight).”

Meanwhile, Springdale’s offense struggled last week in a loss to Springdale Har-Ber, something DeBusk is hoping changes tonight. This season, junior quarterback Joseph Calcagni has completed 66 passes for 965 yards and seven touchdowns.

Something that could hurt the Red’Dogs is the loss of sophomore receiver Tony Dennis, who broke a bone in his left leg last week. Dennis is expected to be out at least four weeks, DeBusk said.

“Har-Ber had a lot to do with our struggles last week, so we’ve worked hard to improve that,” DeBusk said. “I just think we have to give the best effort we have, and if we do, we’ll have a good shot.”

FAYETTEVILLE — Dylan Hale ran for 39 yards on seven carries in last week’s loss to Bentonville, but the Fayetteville running back did even more damage through the air — something Purple’Dogs coach Daryl Patton expects to continue.

Hale caught six passes for 77 yards against the Tigers, including a 35-yard reception that helped set up Fayetteville’s only touchdown in the first quarter.

“He’s got the ability to take the ball a long way when he touches it,” Patton said of the junior.

The Purple’Dogs (1-2-1 overall, 0-1 7A-West Conference) play their fourth straight home game on Friday when they host Springdale High (2-2, 0-1). Patton said he has “made some changes” on both offense and defense this week in practice, but he wouldn’t elaborate.

“Some of our better players didn’t step up last Friday,” Patton said. “And they’ve got to take their game to another level.

“We feel very confident that from here on out we’re going to be competitive with every team we play. We’re capable of winning all six. We’re capable of losing all six.”

While the passing game set the tone early for Bentonville, the rushing game showed it’s on par and perhaps even better than last season in the second half. Haskell had a 72-yard touchdown run on the Tigers second play of the half to put Bentonville up 31-7, and senior Shane Boedecker pitched in with 88 yards on the ground and a pair of second-half touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Fayetteville (1-2-1, 0-1) never found a consistent answer for a Tigers defense that only rushed three and dropped eight into coverage. The Purple’Dogs opened with a 10-play, 74-yard touchdown drive to tie the game at 7 on a 3-yard run by Michael Heintzman, but they could only muster a late field goal after that. Junior quarterback Brandon Allen was pressured for much of the game by Bentonville, finishing 18 of 37 for 174 yards.

“Their offense, it’s hard to keep scoring with them,” Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. “They’re very, very talented, very good. I thought our kids fought hard. They’re were just getting blown off the ball.

Bentonville travels to Fort Smith Southside next week, while Fayetteville hosts Springdale High.

BENTONVILLE 45, FAYETTEVILLE 10

Bentonville    14    10    7    14    —    45
Fayetteville    7    0    0    3    —    10
First Quarter
Bent — Griffith 27 pass from Gean (Levin kick), 9:44
Fay — Heintzman 3 run (Patton kick), 5:41
Bent — Haskell 95 pass from Gean (Levin kick), 1:16
Second Quarter
Bent — Haskell 1 run (Levin kick), 10:23
Bent — FG Levin 36, 5:03
Third Quarter
Bent — Haskell 72 run (Levin kick), 6:06
Fourth Quarter
Bent — Boedeker 8 run (Levin kick), 11:13
Fay — FG Patton 33, 9:09
Bent — Boedeker 25 run (Levin kick), 5:33

Bent    Fay
First Downs    17    11
Rushes-Yards    29-286    17-74
Passing Yards    252    174
Comp-Att-Int    9-12-0    18-37-0
Punts    2-27    7-46
Fumbles-Lost    2-0    0-0
Penalties-Yards    3-24    4-49

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Bentonville, Haskell 11-150, Boedeker 7-88, Gean 6-52, Murphy 3-10, Team 2-(-14). Fayetteville, D. Hale 7-39, Allen 6-36, Heintzman 2-3, Gorton 2-(minus 4).
PASSING—Bentonville, Gean 9-12-0-252. Fayetteville, Allen 18-37-0-174.
RECEIVING—Bentonville, Haskell 3-120, Vanderpool 1-61, Griffith 3-47, Gneiting 1-10, Boydston 1-8, Trudo 1-6. Fayetteville, D. Hale 6-77, Underwood 4-32, Jordan 1-22, Dean 2-21, J. Hale 3-14, Heintzman 2-8.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.