Winning the Class 7A state championship last season meant a lot to Jamie Mitchell and the North Little Rock Charging Wildcats.
Mitchell also was proud to be a part of the first state championship won by a central Arkansas school in the state's largest classification since 2004, when Little Rock Central earned the then-Class AAAAA title.
Mitchell said after North Little Rock's 44-37 victory over Bentonville on Dec. 2 that he received a lot of phone calls and text messages from 7A-Central Conference coaches congratulating his team.
"We felt the pressure and the support from all the central Arkansas 7A schools," said Mitchell, who is entering his fourth season at North Little Rock. "When there's been a run like Northwest Arkansas has had, the burden gets heavier and heavier for the Central teams.
"We were ecstatic to break that chokehold. We were certainly glad for the support from the Central teams."
The 2017 season was one to celebrate for the 7A-Central.
Three teams from the conference advanced to the Class 7A semifinals -- North Little Rock, Bryant and Conway. North Little Rock defeated Conway in one semifinal, and Bryant lost at Bentonville in the other semifinal.
Mitchell believes the 7A-Central Conference has caught up with the 7A-West, which had a team win the state championship for 12 consecutive seasons.
"In our conference, we've gotten better," Mitchell said. "Bryant has become a real power. Conway last year was as good as anybody. Cabot, they're that team that nobody wants to play.
"Our whole conference, top to bottom, has gotten better."
Bryant Coach Buck James said the 7A-Central has played better football in recent years, in part because of the schools' commitment to their programs, with new stadiums (North Little Rock) and indoor practice facilities (Conway, Little Rock Catholic).
"It's gotten better," James said. "The administrators and communities have put more money into it. We were getting outspent 10-1 for years. They [the 7A-West] had more coaches and more resources.
"I think people in central Arkansas are waking up a little bit. You look at North Little Rock's facilities and Cabot's facilities. Those people are putting more money into it.
"It takes money. It takes manpower. It takes a community to be able to play good football at this level. You can't just go out there and win just because you've got players. You've got to have a program."
Mitchell understands the value of having quality facilities for a football program.
"That's the world we live in today with the kids," Mitchell said. "They want the newest and the best. You've got school choice. You've got kids who can go to different high schools. Fortunately, we have a facility that is a brand-new facility. We've got tradition here.
"It's a small-arms race. Everybody wants to have the biggest and the best."
First-year Conway Coach Keith Fimple, who has served as an assistant coach at Class 7A schools Fayetteville, Fort Smith Southside and Springdale Har-Ber, saw the 7A-Central's rise from the 7A-West. He said with Fort Smith Northside and Fort Smith Southside switching from the 7A-West to the 7A-Central in 2016, that helped the conference.
"In high school football, it's always going to cycle, just like anywhere else," Fimple said. "Right now, that lever has tipped one way.
"As far as the Central catching up, it's above what I've seen in the West."
Like Mitchell and Fimple, James wants to help the 7A-Central grow as a strong football conference.
James has led the Hornets to the Class 7A semifinals the past two seasons. Before James arrived, the Hornets never advanced past the state quarterfinals.
James said his expectation for the Hornets this season is to win a state championship, but he hopes his team believes that as well.
"That's what our goal is," James said. "In year three, this is what we expect. We've got the pieces. Whether we get the mentality to be a championship team -- week in and week out, quarter by quarter -- is up to the leadership on our football team."
Big school champs
Recent football state champions in the state’s largest classification:
2017 North Little Rock
2016 Fayetteville
2015 Fayetteville
2014 Bentonville
2013 Bentonville
2012 Fayetteville
2011 Fayetteville
2010 Bentonville
2009 Springdale Har-Ber
2008 Bentonville
2007 Fayetteville
2006 Fort Smith Southside
2005 Springdale
2004 LR Central
2003 LR Central
2002 Fort Smith Southside
2001 Bentonville
2000 Cabot
1999 Fort Smith Northside
Sports on 08/19/2018