Badgers are back at War Memorial!

It’s week 15 of the high school football season. Arkadelphia started the season 1-3, including a 40-25 loss at 5A Camden Fairview, a 52-14 home win against 5A Hot Springs, and a 49-35 home loss to 6A Lake Hamilton. Since then, against all 4A competition, the Badgers have won 11 straight games by an average score of 48 to 11.

Elkins is undefeated at 14-0, and has been the top-ranked 4a team all season.

It’s hard not to get nostalgic each time the Badger football team reaches the finals. We’ve written about it here, here, and here. The first of those links contains several hyperlinked blog post by Rex Nelson, who can satisfy any Badger fan’s appetite for nostalgia. For example, Rex writes about Arkadelphia’s second appearance in the state finals when he was the Badger starting center, here.

To get your mind right for Saturday’s game, we’re putting the last four state title game appearances in this space:

Ya’ll already know how each game turned out. Hopefully #5 happens on Saturday. Go Big Blue!

Repeat Tour Complete

It’s been awhile since we last posted. Lots has happened since then. The Arkansas Supreme Court held the General Assembly unconstitutionally referred Issue 1 to the voters. The Razorback football team had their worst season (by loss count) on record amid the coaching change, but still managed a top-25 recruiting class. We waited and waited and waited for the duck migration, which just arrived in the middle of February several weeks after duck season ended.

One other thing happened. The Arkadelphia Badger football team started off the Repeat Tour by losing its first five games. On December 8, 2018, the team, after starting the season 0-5, reeled off its 10th straight game to win a second consecutive state title. In the playoff run, they beat four #1 seeds away from home. An 0-5 team has never come back to win a state title, nor has a team ever beaten four #1 seeds in the playoffs in Arkansas high school football history.

While last year’s state title was special, this year’s run says so much about the coaches, players, teachers, parents, administrators, and others in our community who never gave up on themselves or the team. Like last year, many people contributed to the video below commemorating the 2018 State Championship:

I always thought adults were supposed to be examples for kids. However, the example these kids have shown us all is an example I hope to follow. So the next time life gets difficult; the next time things don’t go your way; the next time you think you’re down and out; the next time you’re 0-5 in life, believe in yourself. Remember these coaches and kids. Like they did, believe your efforts will get you where you want to go as long as you continue doing things the right way. What a lesson. What a season. #RepeatTourComplete

Let the #3PeatTour commence.