Tucked away beautifully in the Ozark Mountain range is the town of Fayetteville, Arkansas home of the
Fayetteville (Fayetteville, Ark.) High School Bulldogs, and their 7A state championship girls' basketball team. The Bulldogs finished #18 nationally in the MaxPreps Freeman rankings out of 20,000 girls' teams nationwide after a 30-2 season.
The 5th annual MaxPreps Basketball Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard was in Fayetteville on Wednesday, May 11th and the Dalai Lama wasn't the only recognizable face in town. The community hosted a "Parade of Champions" for the Fayetteville High School's outstanding sports teams and extracurricular programs. When I first arrived at the school, I was warmly greeted by head coach Bobby Smith who was smiling ear to ear. Coach Smith immediately took me on tour to the basketball trophy cases and gymnasium that highlighted the program's very successful history. Coach Smith then took me to his office for a private viewing of the final minute of the dramatic championship game. The championship game ended with a game-winning 3 pointer at the buzzer by Calli Berna. I could see in the coach's eyes how proud he was of his team as he watched his team celebrate again on his television.
The Parade of Champions started up with students piling into the back of convertibles, pick-up trucks, and trailers. The Arkansas Army National Guardsman Sergeant First Class Heath Cole chauffeured Head Coach Bobby Smith, players Clair Childers, and Calli Berna in a hummer golf cart. The parade ended at the Fayetteville Town Center where family, friends, and community members anxiously awaited the Army National Guard national ranking trophy presentation. When it was time for the girls' basketball team to be honored, veteran MaxPreps representative Mike Wilkes took the microphone and talked about the girls' basketball team's spectacular season. Mike then turned the presentation over to Arkansas Army National Guardsman Master Sergeant Thomas Aldridge who presented the Army National Guard national ranking trophy to Coach Smith. Shortly thereafter, the Arkansas Army National Guard presented the girls' basketball team their highest honor by saluting the team. When the Guardsmen saluted the team, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
Unfortunately, Head Coach Bobby Smith will not be coaching the team next year, but he is certainly retiring on top. Congratulations once again to Coach Smith and the Bulldogs on their fantastic season, and we hope to be back soon as a new era begins in Fayetteville, AR!
