Photo by Precision Sports Entertainment
Many high school football fans would write off a team if they dropped their first four games of the season. You can't really blame them either considering how slim the odds are of an 0-4 team turning things around and winning their state championship. There just aren't many young athletes out there with the mental toughness needed to overcome that rough of a start.
However, on December 6th, 2014, the
Bentonville Tigers (Ark.) defied those odds by defeating Fayetteville, 24-21, in the Class 7A state championship game to capture their second consecutive state title. The victory marked Bentonville's ninth straight win to end the year (9-4) and fifth state football championship in school history. Head coach Barry Lunney and the rest of his coaching staff have built a football program at Bentonville that expects to win (6 state final appearances since 2008). Even though the season didn't begin the way Coach Lunney and the Tigers expected, they still found a way to reach their ultimate goal.
On Tuesday, February 3rd, MaxPreps and the Arkansas Army National Guard visited Bentonville High School to honor the Tigers on the 10th Annual MaxPreps Football Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard. While this visit marks the fourth time Bentonville has been selected to the Tour since 2009, Coach Lunney remains extremely grateful knowing only 50 teams receive this accolade each year. "We've been really blessed to be involved with this outstanding program that has grown into one of the top honors. It's rewarding to know that we are up there with some of the great names in high school football." Out of more than 16,000 high school football programs nationwide, MaxPreps ranked Bentonville No. 90 in the country.
In the afternoon, Staff Sergeant John Price of the Arkansas Army National Guard tabled in the cafeteria during the school's lunch periods with information about the National Guard and answered any questions students had regarding the National Guard. His display also featured the Army National Guard national ranking trophy that would be presented to Coach Lunney and the football team later that night during halftime of the boys' varsity basketball game. The sight of the prestigious trophy got everyone excited for that evening's ceremony.
As the trophy presentation was approaching, Coach Lunney had his coaching staff and players meet in the hallway closest to the gym. There, SSG Price handed out Tour of Champions commemorative shirts and cinch bags to the team. The coaching staff and players then took formal photos with the trophy and Tour of Champions banner. Afterwards, Coach Lunney and a few of the team captains were asked several questions about their championship season.
When the moment had come to honor the Tigers, Coach Lunney and the team made their way out onto the gym floor in front of the entire crowd. After hearing that their football team had been ranked among the very best in the country, everyone in the gym went wild. Next, Major Eric Drost of the Arkansas Army National Guard congratulated the Tigers on their accomplishment and spoke of the team's ability to overcome adversity throughout the year. He expressed that many teams may have panicked after an 0-4 start to the season, and it takes a strong-willed group of guys to remain devoted until the end. Major Drost concluded the ceremony by presenting Coach Lunney and all of the players with the Minuteman trophy. It was time for everyone to enjoy their newest piece of hardware.
Congratulations to Coach Lunney and the Bentonville Tigers on a great season and national ranking!
