BENTONVILLE -- Three wins and a fourth-place finish in the state's toughest conference.

That's the final ledger for Bentonville West, which ended its inaugural season Thursday with a 62-34 loss to Cabot in the first round of the Class 7A state playoffs. Cabot advances to the second round while Bentonville puts away its gear for awhile after finishing with a 3-8 record.

If there were any tears for the Wolverines, they weren't there for long. Bentonville West has laid a firm foundation and no one will be surprised if the Wolverines emerge quickly as a top program in all sports, and not just football.

Remember, Springdale Har-Ber went from 2-8 its first season in 2006 to playing for a state championship in 2007. The Wolverines also anticipate major improvement when they play on their own field after sharing a stadium with Bentonville High this year.

"Looking back, I think we came a long ways," said West coach Bryan Pratt, who spoke to his team for several minutes after Thursday's final game. "We won some games people didn't think we could and here we are in the playoffs."

The first-round draw was not favorable to the Wolverines, who were matched up against a legendary coach with an offense their granddads are likely more familiar with. Cabot coach Mike Malham had his team pounding the interior in a Straight-T offense that includes counters, toss sweeps, fullback dives, and a quarterback, Jarred Barnes, who rushed for over 200 yards.

West fans were still optimistic when the first quarter ended in a 14-14 tie. But Cabot began to roll with three consecutive touchdowns in the second quarter and the Panthers increased their lead to 62-27 at the end of the third quarter.

West provided some offensive highlights, including a tipped pass that was caught for a 42-yard touchdown to end the first half. But West could not slow Cabot, which earned victory No. 292 under Malham, the second all-time winningest coach in Arkansas.

So, the first season is over for West, which made its varsity debut on Sept. 2 in a 33-12 loss at Pryor, Okla. West dropped to 0-3 before beating Van Buren 42-14 in the 7A-West Conference opener. West added two more victories and clinched a home playoff spot with a 26-22 victory over Rogers High.

The win against Rogers featured the growth of the Wolverines, who took the field against Pryor as a group of inexperienced, and perhaps a bit intimidated, underclassmen. That can happen to a team without seniors. But the Wolverines made clutch plays with the game on the line against Rogers and knocked down a fourth-down pass to secure the victory.

With the foundation in place, it won't be long before West begins to look to the team's second season.

"We have no seniors, so we don't have to say by to anybody," Pratt said. "We need to get bigger, faster, and better. That's the part we're lacking right now in the trenches. But, hopefully, we'll be better next year."

The Wolverines should win more than three games in 2017 when they open with home games against Pryor and Little Rock Central. It's a good bet, too, that 48-8 loss to Bentonville High will be a lot closer game next year.

The Wolverines have arrived and they're hungry for success.
