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"You have a lifetime guarantee on all repairs and paint for as long as you own your vehicle" All Major & Minor Repairs Auto Glass Replacement Free Estimates BOB MOREY'S AUTO BODY, INC. 1019 N Walton Blvd Ste 7 • Bentonville, AR 72712 479-271-7292 Mon-Thurs 8am-5pm • Fri 8am-3pm Proud Sponsor of Bentonville Athletics 9 PREP RALLY: Class 7A THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017 PAYTON COPHER Bentonville's and Fayetteville's run of state championships over the last decade has been nothing if not dominant. The schools have combined to win seven straight and nine of the last 10 Class 7A titles, with the Tigers repeat- ing in 2013-14 and Fayetteville doing the same the last two seasons under as many head coaches. Springdale Har-Ber, which has played in three state title games, owns the only other state championship (2009) in that span. This fall, the Wildcats have hopes of three-peating as conference champions for the first time in school history and derailing December's two mainstays. After his team fell short to Bryant at home in last year's state quarterfinals, Har-Ber coach Chris Wood, the league's longest-tenured head coach, knows well the challenges that lie ahead. "We play in a good league, and all of the ball in 7A is good," Wood said. "All of the teams in the Central are really well coached, and they play well. We've just seen a run of some really good teams between, to be honest, Fayetteville and Bentonville, and what they've done with the landscape of football all of those years. "You really have to coach at a high level and play at a high level to keep pace with those two," he added. "And we feel we've been up there in the mix. We've got a state title and a couple runners-up in that course with them, so it makes you raise your game. It raises the bar of what we're doing." This offseason Har-Ber worked to do just that, rearranging and diversifying an offense that threw for only 135.5 yards per game in 2016. Junior Grant Allen takes over at quarterback, allowing Pay- ton Copher — an Air Force commit — to Conference of champions SHINE ON … PAYTON COPHER SCHOOL Springdale Har-Ber POSITION Running Back/Defensive back CLASS Senior HEIGHT 6-1 WEIGHT 190 TWITTER HANDLE @paytoncopher THE DIGITS Accounted for 1,629 yards and 22 TD in 2016 CRUSHING ON My girlfriend, Olivia Stum- baugh I LISTEN TO Country, hip-hop, R&B I DRIVE A 2014 Honda Crosstour MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW I'm a pretty good dancer MY HERO IS My grandad FAVORITE MEAL Mom's homemade buffalo chicken pasta WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT FOOTBALL The intensity of the game IN 10 YEARS I WILL Still be in the Air Force (committed on June 25) SCOTTIE BORDELON NWA DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Har-Ber, Bentonville look to restake their claims atop 7A NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANTHONY REYES Springdale Har-Ber Payton Copher returns for the Wildcats this season. See 7A, Page 11