There are fans of high school sports in Arkansas who've never heard of Centerton or are only vaguely aware Bentonville now has two high schools, not one.
That should largely begin to change next month when Bentonville West hosts the Class 6A state basketball tournament in Centerton. The announcement continues a season of firsts for West, which opened its new football stadium Aug. 31 against Fort Smith Southside.
Twelve boys and 12 girls teams from Arkansas' largest classification will compete Feb. 26-March 2 in Centerton for the chance to advance to the state finals in Hot Springs.
Folks driving up from central Arkansas for the 6A tournament should not panic if they mistakenly pull into a parking lot at Bentonville High. Simply turn around and head west toward Centerton, which is slightly more than 7 miles from Bentonville High.
West opened in 2016, and the school is located on Gamble Road in an area cows, coyotes and critters of a smaller size occupied before construction began. But don't be fooled, Centerton is listed No. 4 and Bentonville No. 1 on the Top 10 places to live in Northwest Arkansas by homesnacks.net.
"We're very excited to be hosting the 6A state tournament," said Scott Passmore, athletic director for Bentonville Schools. "This will be our first time to host. It's not a money-making venture. The AAA keeps 90 percent of the money generated. We get to keep the concessions and part of the gate (ticket sales). But we're eager to show people from other parts of the state our school and our facilities. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised."
Bentonville High would've been a logical place to host a state tournament, especially during the Malik Monk era, but Tiger Arena seats about 1,700, which does not meet the minimum seating capacity required by the Arkansas Activities Association. Wolverine Arena more than meets that requirement with 2,500 seats, and about 70 percent of those are chair back seats.
There's plenty of planning ahead, and Bentonville West will need over 100 volunteers to execute the various jobs necessary when hosting a state tournament. Concerns have been raised about parking at West, especially with school still in session during the early portions of the tournament. But Passmore said adjustments will be made to free up some parking.
"We have a staggered school schedule and half the students are dismissed by 2:30," Passmore said. "There shouldn't be a problem."
Tournaments are generally more successful and attendance is up when teams from the host school are involved. That means the boys and girls teams at Bentonville West still have work to do. The Wolverines and Lady Wolverines are both winless in the league after Friday losses, but there's still plenty of time to catch up and qualify in a classification where six of eight teams in the standings advance to the state tournament.
"Hosting the state tournament is exciting but, to be honest, a little stressful, too," West boys coach Greg White said. "Losses feel a lot heavier right now. But I'm excited to be able to host. I've got great relationships with the coaches in our class. So, I'm excited to get to spend a few days with those guys, especially guys from the Central I don't see as much."
Fayetteville and Bentonville High each have boys and girls teams that could advance to the finals in Hot Springs, but they'll be challenged by teams from the 6A-Central with traditionally strong teams like North Little Rock and Fort Smith Northside.
It should all make for an exciting tournament at Bentonville West High School, the newest example of the beauty and prosperity of Northwest Arkansas.
Ya'll come.
Sports on 01/13/2019