West has stout run of games

If there was anything good Bentonville West’s boys could find about the latest winter weather layoffs, it could be that it allowed the Wolverines to hold on to sole possession of the top spot in the 6A-West Conference standings.

The flip side of that though is West (18-7, 7-1) will have its endurance tested with a five-game stretch over the next eight days, starting tonight as the Wolverines are scheduled to travel to Fort Smith Northside.

“The last thing I told our guys was to just enjoy being a kid,” West coach Greg White said. “But I also let them know that when they stepped back in here, it’s time to go.

“But everybody is in the same situation right now. It’s going to be interesting over the next few days.”

West reclaimed sole possession of first place in the league standings in its last game, a 59-21 win over Rogers Heritage, while Bentonville and Springdale suffered losses that night. The Wolverines, however, will follow tonight’s game with a Saturday makeup home game against Fayetteville.

Next week won’t be much easier as West has home games Tuesday against Bentonville and Wednesday against Rogers. The Wolverines then end the stretch next Friday with a game at Springdale.

“This is where the teams start shaking out,” White said. “And you have the teams near the top that are facing each other, so it’s about to be a lot of fun.

“We’re at the point of the season where coaches are shortening their practices, and we’ve adapted the phrase “healthy and happy. There is no clear-cut winner in the state this year, so we’re all going to have to adapt and adjust and figure out some things pretty quick.”