FAYETTEVILLE — Mired in a 1-5 hole and facing rival Springdale, Fayetteville needed a big win to gain some confidence for a late-season surge.
That is exactly what happened last Friday as the Purple'Dogs (2-5, 2-1 7A-West) downed the Red'Dogs 48-13.
Fayetteville linebacker Kaiden Turner (6-2, 220) and wide receiver Isaiah Sategna (5-11, 165) are two of the nine in-state juniors with offers from Arkansas.
“I tell you what, it all had to do with our preparation during the week,” Turner said. “This was probably the best week of practice I have been a part of since I have been a Fayetteville Bulldog. It showed on the field on Friday night.
“If we can keep stacking up great practices like that every single day and every week, I really believe that we can go deep into the playoffs.”
Turner had 10 tackles, two for lost yardage, forced a fumble and blocked a field goal attempt that he returned 70 yards. He also added a 2-yard touchdown run for good measure.
“Definitely my speed has improved and I can see that all my hard work that I put in during the offseason has paid off,” Turner said. “I have also put on some good...muscle weight. That’s been impressive to me and I just want to make sure I continue working hard.
“I still don’t think that I have played as good as I can. I feel like I have more in the tank, but I think I will hit my stride and I will really be balling. I can’t wait for that to happen.”
Fayetteville defender Braelon Palmer also scored touchdowns on both a 30-yard dash following a fumble and an interception return in a game the Purple'Dogs led 41-6 at intermission.
It appears the Fayetteville-Springdale rivalry has lost some its luster over the years.
“I'll tell you, Springdale had no fans at all this year,” Turner said. “I’m not sure why. It was just weird because even when we play away games, we still have a lot of fans.
“But my mom went to Fayetteville and she was explaining to me what the rivalry meant to her and everyone she went to school with. It was just a massive game back then. Everyone got super excited about it, more than they do now. But it is still a big-time game to us and to win was a lot of fun.”
Fayetteville may have a losing overall record due to an 0-4 mark in nonconference (Conway, Owasso, Okla., North Little Rock, Fort Smith Northside) but is 2-1 in conference action.
The Purple'Dogs had two conference games with Bentonville West (Sept. 25) and Rogers (Oct. 2) canceled because of covid-19 precautions, but has sandwiched wins over Fort Smith Southside (46-42) and Springdale around a 59-14 loss at Bentonville since.
Fayetteville will be looking to move to 3-1 with a win at conference foe Rogers Heritage (1-7, 0-5) on Friday.
“We all knew our nonconference schedule was not going to be easy and we took that almost as a challenge of it being the toughest one in the state,” Turner said. “But we would rather play against harder teams early to be better prepared for later.
“Starting out against those guys was definitely great competition and I think it was good for us because now we are starting to hit our stride and getting into things.”
Turner holds offers from Arkansas, Houston, Indiana and Kansas, and interest from Mississippi State, Nebraska, Kansas State, Tulsa Coastal Carolina and other programs.
He has been impressed with the turnaround of the Razorbacks under new head coach Sam Pittman and his staff.
“It’s been big-time and I am super happy for them,” Turner said. “Coach Pittman and I were just talking a second ago. I am super excited for the entire program and the school with what they have now and what they have coming in the future.
“The basketball team is going to to be good, the baseball and track teams are always good and I think football is on the come up. I think they are going to be one of the top schools in the SEC in all of the sports soon.
“Maybe not next year, but the years coming after that, I can see the football team competing at the top soon.”
Turner’s attention has been on the field and not recruiting lately.
“It has been a little bit slower with all the Big Ten schools that I have talked to just starting their seasons now,” Turner said. “I have talked to a couple of other schools, but it has slowed down because we are both in our seasons and we are both getting caught up in trying to win.”