Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
BENTONVILLE HIGH TIGERS
2017 RECORD 10-3, 7-0 7A-West COACH Jody Grant RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 4 defense KEY PLAYERS WR Harrison Campbell (Sr., 5-11, 185), WR Dylan Smith (Sr., 6-2, 180), RB Preston Crawford (Jr., 6-0, 180), OL Kenny Resta (Sr., 6-1, 270), OL Nick Brown (Sr., 6-2, 260), DE Bryant Parlin (Sr., 6-5, 215), DE Jack Boettner (Sr., 6-5, 220), LB Andrew Bartgis (Sr., 5-9, 170), S Ben Pankau (Jr., 6-1, 165), S Ben Sellers (Jr., 5-9, 160), CB Donté Jones (Sr., 6-0, 180), PK Sam Younger (Sr., 5-11, 160).
THE SKINNY Bentonville’s schedule features two Saturday games, and the Tigers will play a game in Louisiana for the first time when they travel to Shreveport and take on Aledo, Texas, in the Independence Bowl. … The Tigers’ offense features returning starters Harrison Campbell and Dylan Smith at receiver. Campbell caught 37 passes for almost 600 yards and five touchdowns and gives his team trusty hands on punt returns, while Smith added 18 receptions for 329 yards and two scores. … Junior Preston Crawford was pressed into a starting tailback role in the postseason and had 480 yards and seven TDs, including 150 yards and two scores in the Class 7A state championship. … Easton Hughes assumes the starting QB role after he led the Tigers to one score and within 10 yards of a tying score against North Little Rock before time ran out. … The defense is led by LB Andrew Bartgis, who led Bentonville with 119 tackles last season. … The defensive line is the most experienced with Bryant Parlin and Jack Boettcher returning. … Starting safeties Ben Pankau and Ben Sellers combined for five of Bentonville’s 14 interceptions last season. … Sam Younger returns as placekicker after hitting 51 of 53 extra-point attempts and 7-of-10 field-goal tries, with a season-long of 44 yards in the state semifinal against Bryant. Elliot Nimrod, who handled kickoffs, also returns after recording 30 touchbacks out of 81 kickoffs.
COACH SPEAK “Our challenges are we are breaking in some new young faces — some new starters. They’re ready. They’ve been in our program. We have some guys who have played, and we have a new core of leaders who have been led for two years. It’s their time, so they are learning the process of our expectations of them. We’re picking up some pieces that need to be cleaned up. We’ll need those guys that we are counting on to step up, and the new faces are going to have to come on in a hurry.” — Henry Apple • @NWAHenry