Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Bentonville West wins Alma 7on7 showcase
ALMA — It came down to the final play of the game, and it was Bentonville West’s defense that came through.
With the championship game of the Lumber One 7on7 Showcase on the line, West got the last two points by forcing a Mansfield turnover on downs to pull away with a 30-28 victory in Airedale Stadium.
“These guys play hard and never give up on a play,” West coach Bryan Pratt said of his defense. “I think our kids did a good job of that and battled when we had some adversity. I couldn’t be more proud of them. I hope it carries over into the season.”
Mansfield, a Class 3A school, had the ball at the Class 7A West 24 on third down in what ended up being the final play. The Tigers nearly completed a touchdown pass to break the 28-28 tie, but it was ruled the receiver didn’t make the catch. That then ended the drive and West earned two points for the stop and the win.
“It was third down, so we took the shot there,” Mansfield coach Craig Bentley said. “We could’ve held the ball and took it into overtime. But we caught the ball and almost made it a catch. Sometimes that’s how it goes. I’m proud of the guys going for the win and almost getting it.”
It wasn’t the only big stop of the day for the West defense. The Wolverines defense was able to keep Fayetteville out of the end zone on the final play of the game in the semifinals for a 22-15 overtime victory.
West quarterback Dalton McDonald finished 13 of 19 passing for 174 yards with four touchdowns in the championship game to help lead the way.
“He got the experience playing for us last year after we had an injury,” Pratt said. “Everything is a lot slower for him now, which is good. We still have some things to improve on. We had to use a lot of receivers today.”
Mansfield quarterback Ethan Stovall completed 14 of 23 attempts in the air for 172 yards, including four touchdowns, for the Tigers.
“We are a pretty experienced team,” Bentley said. “We have one of the best quarterbacks and skilled guys in the state. I think we showed that without a doubt. We knew we’d be the smallest school here. We wanted that challenge. I’m proud of the guys.”
Mansfield got the first possession of the game and jumped out to a 7-0 lead. West quickly responded after that with a one-play, 40-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.
Mansfield ended up taking a 20-14 first-half lead into the break. West then tied the game at 20-20 after a score and a missed extra-point play early in the second half.
The Tigers scored on an 8-yard touchdown pass and successfully got a two-point conversion to take a 28-20 lead with about seven minutes left in the game.
West was able to answer the drive with about three minutes left in the game to tie the game again at 28-28. The Wolverines’ defense then got its critical turnover on downs for the final two points of the game to pull ahead.
“This was a good outing for us,” Pratt said. “We got here a little late and lost our first game. It was a wake-up call. We had to play Russellville, Fayetteville and Mansfield in back-to-back-to-back games to finish this. We went through the long road to get this championship.”
Mansfield, who was the No. 3 seed out of pool play, was able to get to the finals by beating No. 2 seed Fort Smith Northside 19-17 in the semifinals.
“We got a lot of reps and we got better,” Northside coach Mike Falleur said. “It was good, but we didn’t come ready to play in the last game. That’s what happens in 7on7 if you aren’t ready. We are going to get better, and that’s what we were here for.”
Fayetteville lost 22-15 in a semifinals game against West, who was the No. 3 seed, but the Bulldogs were able to gain a lot of experience and played well enough to earn the top seed from pool play.
“It’s good to come out here with these kids and get on the same page while competing,” Fayetteville coach Casey Dick said. “It was good for our kids to come out here in our system and get a lot of reps. We are proud of the way we competed. But it just didn’t end like we wanted it.”
Van Buren won a pair of first-round games in bracket play with two different teams before being eliminated in the quarterfinals. The
Pointers were playing without starting quarterback Gary Phillips, who was at a camp out of the state.
Van Buren’s junior varsity team was able to knock out the host in Alma, 18-17, with a touchdown in the final 30 seconds of the game. Van Buren’s varsity team also beat Fayetteville’s junior varsity team, 33-6.
“We got better today,” Van Buren coach Crosby Tuck said. “I feel like there was quite a bit of improvement from the start of the day. Connor Brady played well for us at quarterback along with Jaiden Henry and Conrad Walters. It was an exciting day for these guys.”