After Fayetteville beat Bentonville 30-21 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on Saturday, the Bulldogs returned to their field house Sunday to bring home the championship trophy.
Sophomore Jay Austin got off of one of the buses to be greeted by his older sister and mother. He is recovering from a broken leg.
Jay’s sister Taylor Austin is the Bentonville homecoming queen. The divided family said the rivalry makes games interesting.
"They all voted me as Homecoming queen, so obviously I wanted them to win," Taylor Austin said.
Jay Austin said, "It's a little fun. I mean we might fight a little bit.”
Jay said the support from the fans was incredible at their state championship game.
"It was the best experience of my life,” Jay said. “The fans, the crowd, it was outrageous how everybody was.”
Grayce Randolph, 18, was one of the seniors who cheered from the front row.
"We had the seniors who were just dancing around on the sidelines trying to get us pumped up," Randolph said. "It was really fun and I've completely lost my voice from screaming."
Senior Mary Margaret Corke, 17, said the game was intense.
"Taking the title yet again. I can't even fathom what it's like for those guys out there in the field," Corke said. "Just being in the stands. It was awesome cheering them on."
Receiver and cornerback Jordan Dennis intercepted Bentonville quarterback Reece Dollins and returned the interception to give Fayetteville a 21-7 lead.
"Just a bunch of adrenaline went through me,” Dennis said. “Everybody hit me on the head and told me good job."
Dennis said the fans pumped them up. Dennis said his goal is to play for the University of Arkansas.
"Oh it was loud, it was really loud out there, it was exciting," Dennis said.
Both brother and sister Jay and Taylor said, even if they are split between the Tigers and the Bulldogs, they support each other.
"In the end, we're still brother and sister at the end of the day," Jay said.
Taylor said, "It's exciting for him. He'll get a ring. It's an awesome experience."
Teammates and fans said they hope to win yet another state championship during the next football season.