Bentonville Game 12 vs. Conway West

November 29, 2013                                                                             Conway West: 14

Bentonville, Ark.                                                                                   Bentonville: 21

In one of their closest matchups in nearly every statistical category in 2013, the Bentonville Tigers utilized an impressive fourth quarter performance to outlast the Cats from Conway West and advance to the State Championship game.

Bentonville (10-2) bested Conway 21-14 to move on to the Arkansas 7A Championship game for the fourth consecutive season.

A back-and-forth game from the start, the two teams would trade scoring plays evenly before Dylan Smith scored the game-winning touchdown, his third of the playoffs, late in the third quarter.

Neither team could muster too much momentum in the game as each scoring drive would be answered with another. Quarterback Kasey Ford got the scoring started in the first quarter with a 27-yard connection to receiver Jimmie Jackson but Conway would answer with a rushing touchdown in the second.

Just a mere five plays after that, Ford hit Cody Scroggins for 54-yards and his second passing touchdown of the game.

Not to be outdone however, Conway answered right back, with another rushing touchdown, knotting the game at 14 at halftime.

The second half was not much different than the first however, until a sack fumble and big punt return from Scroggins turned the tables.

Darion Moore would register the only sack of the game for the Tigers, but that sack would successfully sway the momentum in Bentonville’s direction. Despite the Cats recovering the fumble, the loss of yards forced a punt that was subsequently returned by Scroggins for 40 yards, setting up the Tiger offense in the red zone.

Smith would capitalize on the very next play, scoring from 20 yards out and giving Bentonville a 21-14 lead they would not relinquish.

The defensive stand would not come easy however as the Tigers would need to hold off the prolific Conway offense for over a quarter and a half. While the old saying is ‘defense wins championships’, it can also be said that ‘the best defense is a good offense’.

In either fashion, Bentonville impressed during the fourth quarter, forcing and recovering a Conway fumble on their only possession of the final quarter, while their two offensive possessions killed all the time remaining on the clock. The Tigers held the ball for the final 4:42 of the game and a total of 10:50 of the final quarter, to advance to the State Championship game.

Smith finished the game with 140 yards on the ground while Ford was 8-of-12 for 130 yards and the two scores.

The Tigers learned they would square off against Cabot High School in the State Championship two weeks later.