BULLDOGS WIN STATE : FHS takes football title in first-ever appearance
Posted on Sunday, November 25, 2007
LITTLE ROCK - Fayetteville junior Cody Hammer put the nail in Springdale Har-Ber's coffin.
Hammer rushed for a career-high 205 yards on 34 carries and two touchdowns to propel Fayetteville past Har-Ber, 28-7, in the Class 7 A state championship game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock Saturday.
The Fayetteville faithful showered its Purple Dogs with applause and the FHS players gave head coach Daryl Patton a Gatorade bath as time ticked down on the school's first state championship.
"This is the first state title in 103 years for the Fayetteville Bulldogs and it's a very special day," Patton said. "We got healthy, started believing and got on a roll and we finished it off with a state championship. People jumped off the bandwagon earlier in the season but these kids never stopped believing and they showed great heart. They got it done and I'm so proud of these kids."
Hammer's heart was beating fastest after putting up one of the toughest performances in state history with his two-way gutcheck.
Hammer carried the ball 18 straight times in the fourth quarter to grind down the clock and wear down Har-Ber's will. Hammer was running on high-octane fumes after doubling as a linebacker for the entire contest. Hammer's hard-nosed effort garnered him the game's Most Valuable Player honor.
Fayetteville's gunslinging senior signal-caller Blake McDonald went down with a "severe ankle sprain"with 4: 47 in the first quarter. Although McDonald returned, his ankle worsened as the game progressed. McDonald finished with a season-low 142 yards through the air on 9 of 20 passing with a touchdown and a pick.
"I knew Blake could still hand it off and I knew I had to step up and do this for the seniors," Hammer said.
Fayetteville rushed for 246 yards on 48 attempts and kept the ball for 30: 04 to Har-Ber's 17: 56.
Har-Ber passed for 235 yards. Patrick Calcagni completed 12 of 19 passes for 139 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Receiver Josh Fohner hauled in 5 catches for 108 yards.
"It's surreal in a sense and we know there can only be one winner," Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. "If our kids can get over the pain of this loss, they will realize what a great season they had. We don't just want to get here. We wanted to win and finish it off. This was a learning experience and we will be back."
Fayetteville (9-3-1 ) won the toss, elected to receive and promptly marched 84 yards on 15 plays. McDonald converted a key fourth-and-5 on a 12-yard completion to Gionni Harris, pushing the ball to the Har-Ber 15. McDonald capped the drive with a 10-yard run up the middle, catapulting his body into the end zone on thirdand-goal with 7: 14 left in the first quarter.
Har-Ber (10-3 ) netted minus-6 yards on its opening drive.
Fayetteville squandered an opportunity on fourthand-1 from the Wildcat 28. The Purple Dogs fumbled the direct snap in the backfield to turn the ball over on downs.
Har-Ber, though, failed to snatch the momentum on the defensive stop.
The Wildcats marched into the red zone before Har-Ber QB Zach Faust was sacked for a 5-yard loss and Calcagni's option pitch on the subsequent play sailed errant to force a fourth-andgoal from the 10.
Fayetteville's Michael Bowman and James Bornhoft combined to sack Calcagni on fourth down to halt the Wildcats' drive.
The Purple Dogs took a 14-0 lead when McDonald hit Bowman for a 16-yard score on third-and-12. Hammer's 39-yard rumble gave the drive life.
Fayetteville intercepted a Calcagni pass midway though the second quarter and converted the turnover into another score. McDonald hit Harris for 34 yards on third-and-8 to set up firstand-goal at the 1. Hammer crashed in for the score on the next play.
Har-Ber cut the gap to 21-7 on the opening drive of the second half on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Calcagni to Fohner.
"I can't even put into words how great this feels," Patton said. "This is a special moment for our school, team and all of the Fayetteville community."
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