CENTERTON — Bentonville West’s football team was in a predicament when a penalty caused the Wolverines to face a first-and-29 situation in their territory Thursday night.

West — a team in its inaugural season — showed no signs of being a brand new team with no seniors on its roster. The Wolverines methodically covered the distance and were on their way to enjoy a 31-12 victory over Poteau, Okla., during a scrimmage game at Wolverine Stadium.

Sophomore quarterback Will Jarrett hit Stefan Banda with passes of 10 and 8 yards, then connected with Jadon Jackson for 9 more to give West a fourth-and-2 from the Poteau 49. The Pirates gave up a first down when they were called for offsides, then Jarrett made them pay when he fired a 26-yard touchdown pass to Banda two plays later.

“That’s our offense, though,” West coach Bryan Pratt said. “We always feel like we have a chance, and that’s the mentality of our offense. We just want another snap, and we feel like if we get another snap, we can score or get a first down.”

When Jarrett was provided time and space, the sophomore proved to be deadly in West’s no-huddle offensive attack. He bounced back from four early quarterback sacks to complete his last 16 passes and finished the game 18 of 22 for 283 yards and two touchdowns despite the game being shortened to 8-minute quarters.

Jarrett was also dangerous on his legs when he broke away from Poteau’s defensive pressure. He scored the Wolverines’ other two touchdowns on the ground, including a 41-yard touchdown run where he started to his right, reversed his ground and headed to the left sideline, then broke back through the middle for the score.

“That’s the whole deal,” Pratt said. “When we get time to throw, we feel like we have some threats at receiver that can make some plays, and obviously our o-line started picking up late and giving him some time to throw the football. He definitely has a pretty good arm.”

West’s defensive unit also had its moments as linebacker Sebastian Caniglia recovered a fumble to end Poteau’s opening drive and eventually led to Blake McDoulett’s 22-yard field goal. The Wolverines also made a goal-line stand to end the first half, stopping the Pirates in the backfield on a first-and-goal from the West 1.

Caniglia came back and started the fourth quarter with a quarterback sack after Poteau had moved inside the West 20. The Pirates’ drive ended on the next play with a fumble and Pono Doctorello recovered the loose ball.

“We played hard, and that’s how we coach them,” Pratt said. “You see our practice and how fast-paced it is and how we want our guys flying to the football. They did that.

“But you have to toss that one under the rug. This one doesn’t go on the record book, and right now we’re still 0-0 and get to play a real opponent next week.”

Poteau did use a third-quarter touchdown to pull within 17-6, but it didn’t take long for West to regroup. On the first play, Jarrett hit James Milholen with a 70-yard touchdown pass and made it 24-6 after McDoulett’s extra-point kick.

Jarrett closed out the Wolverines’ scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run around left end, then the Pirates added a 70-yard touchdown run moments later.

West now begins preparations for its season opener as the Wolverines travel to Pryor, Okla., next week.
