Rivalries Change With the Seasons

In recent years Fayetteville and Bentonville have battled for the title of number one in the state for football. With them playing each other in the past two state championship games. While Bentonville holds an edge over Fayetteville with all of the regular season wins from those two seasons and they’ve split the state championship games, every game has been hard fought and has produced tremendous crowds, filling both stadiums in Benton and Washington counties and also having good sized crowds when the teams travel to War Memorial.

However, once those battles on the gridiron are over and those players have hung up those shoulder pads and their cleats, what happens?

As basketball season begins and the crowds head indoors to cramped, stuffy gyms something else happens. The rivalries change. While Bentonville and Fayetteville have picked up a rivalry on the football field they don’t seem to have that same intensity on the hardwood that they have when they’re playing on turf.

Fayetteville has gone back to their traditional rival in the Springdale High Bulldogs and with them have been fighting for a spot in the conference elite against each other.

This season Springdale sits at the number two team in the conference, only behind Southside, with a 14-5 overall and a 5-1 record in conference while Fayetteville is at fifth in the conference at 12-6 overall and 2-4 in conference. Fayetteville began the season 15-2 and 5-0 in conference but had to forfeit their first four conference games because they used an ineligible player in those games.

While Fayetteville had to forfeit a few games and are now technically the fifth best team in the conference they are much better than their record shows.  This Bulldog team features a huge frontcourt of senior 6’6” senior Malik Fields, 6’8” junior Caleb Waitsman and 6’10” junior Tyler McCullough.

Springdale is the exact opposite on paper of Fayetteville with a very deep backcourt.  While being led by senior Mytaah Crawford Springdale is also getting a boost from the brother duo of Jordan and Tony Dennis who are both getting significant playing time.  With Springdale’s only conference loss coming at 7A West leading Springdale the Red Dogs hope to make a statement as they take on their rival Purple dogs at Bulldog Gymnasium at Springdale High School.

 

Written By Ben Schmuck