BENTONVILLE, Ark. — For the third straight season, the Bentonville Tigers are going to War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock for a chance at a 7A state title. The Tigers will face the Bryant Hornets at this year's matchup.
The Tigers got off to a rocky start this season going 0-3 — falling to Tulsa Union, Conway, and Lee Summit North. They turned it around, winning their next nine games to solidify their spot at the state championship game.
The road to this game wasn't too long but not easy as they had to face their rival Bentonville West in the quarterfinals, topping them 53-28. In the semifinals against Conway, the Tigers hit a last-second field goal, defeating them 36-34 and advancing to Little Rock.
As mentioned earlier, they are no strangers to War Memorial Stadium. However, the last three appearances have ended in losses. Last season, they fell to Fayetteville in a close battle. In 2022, the Tigers lost to Bryant. This year, they hope to avenge that loss.
"It sucks losing twice in a row," Tigers tight end Eli Brooks said. "We're coming in with a new mindset, and we want it. We want it bad, and so we just got to have a great week of practice. That's our main focus right now."
While those games motivate Bentonville head coach Jody Grant's team, he said most of the motivation comes from simply wanting to win.
"I think anytime you have motivation just because you want to win a championship. It's not necessarily about last year, but that does drive these kids and myself and our staff," Grant said. "We want to win one of these things. It's not about making it, it's about winning one. We've used that motivation all year, through the off-season, all through the preseason, and up to this point. Now it's about going and finishing."
The Tigers will look to win their sixth state title and first since 2014 on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 6:30 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
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