Centerton (KFSM) - Bentonville West fans can breath a sigh of relief: Will Jarrett is back.
"It’s great, it’s been a tough few weeks," says Jarrett. "I'm just happy to be out there with my brothers, getting things going."
Even those on the defensive side, like junior Jonas Higson, are excited.
Even head coach Bryan Pratt has to admit that "having Will back just makes everything so much smoother, just because he’s Will and he’s been doing it for three years."
Jarrett missed six contests after getting hurt game one against Owasso. And while absence may make the heart grow fonder, Jarrett's absence made the team grow stronger, as they rallied around sophomore quarterback Dalton McDonald, going 4-2.
"I can't say enough about McDonald," stresses Pratt. "I think it made us a better football team, I think there’s a silver lining to the clouds we faced early in the year."
McDonald's older brother, Dakota, is a senior on the team.
"I think it made us really mature, made us go back to our basics, made us remember hat we’re about and how we came from and what we came from. And getting to watch my little brother succeed and grow, it's ben pretty cool."
While McDonald's play has the Wolverines excited about the future, Jarrett's return sets them up for a deep run this year. Jarrett has thrown for over 600 yards and and 5 touchdowns in two games since returning, and he says it's been plenty of time to work out the kinks before this weeks showdown with Bentonville.
"A little bit of rust, knocked a good bit off the last couple weeks i feel like."
Pratt thinks his star is back. "As he’s making play after play after play he kind of looks at you and grins and says I’m back, it’s a good feeling as a coach."
Jarrett will be under center with a 7A-West title on the line this week, with perhaps a more complete team around him than what he had in week one.