Arkansas high school football Class 7A state final: Bentonville-Fayetteville rivalry on center stage for title showdown

This will be the fifth time the Tigers and Bulldogs have met in the state championship game, with each team winning two

Over the past two decades, it has been one of the state’s most impactful high school football rivalries. Now, the latest chapter is set to be revealed Saturday in Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium. 

Although they play each other at least once a year – in the regular season, and often in the playoffs -- not since 2014 has Bentonville (9-3) and Fayetteville (12-0) met with the Class 7A title on the line.

“I’m glad that we are playing each other,” Fayetteville head coach Casey Dick said this week. “I think a lot of people before the season said that the 7A-West would not be able to win a state championship. That’s all we’ve heard for the last five or six years, that it’s got to go through the 7A-Central. And that’s the way it has been for a while.

“We’re excited to go play, and I know they are excited to go play. There have been a lot of meetings in the past between the two school, and I think everybody will be ready to go.”

Fayetteville is undefeated this season, claiming the 7A-West Conference title. (Photo by Ted McClenning)

Each school has hoisted five state championships since 2001, when Bentonville won its first title. From 2007-16, the two schools combined to win nine of the 10 state championships – every year, with the exception being Springdale Har-Ber’s title run in 2009. 

The Tigers have had a distinct advantage in the regular season, winning 15 straight games against Fayetteville, until the Bulldogs’ 42-34 victory in 2021. That was the first time Fayetteville had beaten Bentonville in the regular season since a 49-30 victory on Nov. 4, 2005. Yet, during that streak, Fayetteville held a 5-2 advantage over the Tigers in the postseason and won all five of its state championships (2007, ‘11, ‘12, ‘15, and ’16) during the stretch.

In that 2021 matchup, Fayetteville had to rally from a 14-point deficit against the Tigers to finish unbeaten in the conference and clinch its first outright conference title in 58 years, dating back to 1963. It also ended Bentonville’s 35-game conference win streak.

After losing to Bentonville in overtime, 31-30, last season, the Bulldogs toppled the Tigers, 42-21, on Oct. 13. Bentonville senior quarterback Carter Nye injured his ankle early in the second half of that game and missed the following two games, defeating Rogers and Springdale with sophomore quarterback Cole Slepecki orchestrating the offense.

“When we lost Carter, you could tell that it deflated our guys on the sideline,” Bentonville head coach Jody Grant said. “But really, it had our guys rally together, moving forward. It made us do things a little bit different, offensively, which has helped us be more productive from that point. And we have gradually been able to get healthier.

“We have played really good football since that happened. We’re hopeful that we can continue that process. But I will say, Fayetteville is playing real good football, too, and we aren’t naïve to that.”

Grant and Dick texted each other congratulatory messages after their wins Friday night and shared their excitement that the West conference was being represented by both teams in the final.

“For years, it’s been all about the Central and Bryant, so it’s fun to know that our conference is starting to get recognized again,” Grant said. “The last few years says a lot about the Central, that they are well-coached and have a lot of great players, but we want to be recognized over here in the West, as well.”

After North Little Rock defeated Bentonville 44-37 in the 2017 state title game, Bryant has dominated the entire state with the past five state championships, under former head coach Buck James.

Ironically, while Bentonville was putting an end to Bryant’s streak last week, Fayetteville ended the streak for James, who is now the head coach at Conway.

“We wanted Fayetteville,” Grant said. “Obviously, they are in our conference, it’s a rivalry, and they beat us pretty handily last time. But we feel like we are a different football team at this point, so we are excited about this matchup. I’m fortunate enough to remember when the West was the dominant conference. It was either us or Fayetteville for a long, long time.”

This will mark the fifth time the Bulldogs and Tigers will meet with the state championship on the line – including three straight seasons, from 2010-12. The teams split the previous four showdowns in Little Rock, with Fayetteville winning in 2010 and 2014, and Bentonville reigning victorious in 2011 and 2012.

“It’s always just a matchup of two really well-coached football teams that are playing at a high level,” Dick said of the rivalry. “You can look at the history of both programs put together and they have done some really special things.”

Bentonville rallies to nip Fayetteville 31-30 in OT

Arkansas high school football state finals schedule

Arkansas high school football Top 25 rankings (11/28/2023)

For a while, Fayetteville and Bentonville didn't think much about one another, mostly because there wasn't much competition to think about. Fayetteville dominated, only losing to the Tigers four times from 1939 to 1999. Then the interstate was built, connecting the two cities. When Bentonville won the 2001 state championship, football, like the rest of the area, was on the rise.

From 1939 to 2006, the teams played 50 times but never in the playoffs. Since then, they've met seven times in the postseason, including the four state title games.

Fayetteville will also be striving for program history on Saturday, seeking its first perfect season with a state title.

Bentonville lost to Fayetteville this year during the regular season. (Photo by Scott Miller)

The only other time the Bulldogs finished a season undefeated was 1957, when they went 10-0, and Little Rock Central finished 12-0. That was before a state playoff system was in place, so there was no definitive winner for the state championship.

“This is a special team, and it has been a special year,” Dick said. “It would be great to make history, and do something that has never been done here. But we need to stay focused on what we have been doing all year and hopefully win one more game.”

Kickoff is slated for noon on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium. The game will be aired live across Arkansas PBS Public Television (https://www.myarkansaspbs.org/).

-- Steve Andrews