MaxPreps Football Tour of Champions celebrates Clinton High School

The 12th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard made a trip to Clinton, Mississippi on Friday, Jan. 20 to honor the Clinton High School Arrows football team for its highly ranked 2016 state championship season.

For the first time since the Clinton opened its doors in 1970, the Arrows (14-1) claimed the Mississippi 6A state title and earned one of 50 spots on the MaxPreps Tour of Champions, which is in its 12th year honoring the top football teams across the country.

On the morning of Jan. 20 the student body filled the gym with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement for the TOC trophy ceremony which took place during a school assembly. The cheerleaders and band welcomed their Arrows football as they made their entrance, and MaxPreps representative Ray Dungee introduced the Tour of Champions to the crowd to kick it off.

Dungee shared highlights from the team's season and finished his congratulatory message by telling the audience that the Clinton football team finished No. 42 in the nation out of 15,000 football teams across the country.

For the main event, Staff Sergeant Chris Mitchke from the Mississippi Army National Guard took over and spoke about the commitment to excellence the coaching staff has instilled in the school and the football team. He paralleled the traits found on a championship team with those found in the Army National Guard – commitment, dedication, hard work, perseverance and more.

SSG Mitchke then presented the highly coveted, and well-deserved, Army National Guard national ranking trophy to head coach Judd Boswell. As he handed the trophy to the coaching staff and the team, the packed gymnasium cheered in support and appreciation.

Coach Boswell was thrilled and humbled by this national attention and thanked both the Mississippi Army National Guard and MaxPreps for recognizing the players, as they know how hard the team worked to get to the top of championship podium.

It was a great morning at Clinton High School. Congratulations to the Arrows football team on capturing its state championship and earning a high national ranking!

Click here to view the Clinton TOC photo gallery and for more information about the Football TOC, please visit the MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.