HARRISON — The lady in the elevator proudly said she was from Paris and was there for the girls state softball championships.
Several ladies in the lobby were from Gurdon. A son coached the soccer team.
This hamlet on the cusp of the Ozarks where folks come from all over the county for medical services or to buy a vehicle played host to the Class 3A state tournaments in boys and girls soccer, baseball and softball.
The championships will be in Fayetteville next weekend. The weather here held off for soccer, but baseball and softball were rescheduled for Monday.
That this town can build the facilities to host so many teams — and do it grandly, even though the break in the water main Thursday night could have been a problem, but the city refused to let that happen — is a great compliment to a lot of folks who work hard to make it happen.
The same with Batesville, Conway, Searcy, Scranton, West Fork, Hot Springs and any other community that hosted high school state championships.
Yours truly was here primarily for soccer, a sport that has slowly but surely been growing, especially in southern Arkansas.
It seemed like all of Green Forest was here Saturday when it took on Harding Academy in the state semifinals, a game won by dominant Green Forest.
The last time the state soccer championship was personally attended was when daughter Whitney was a senior and dating a goalie.
There is an allure about the sport, but it is not one that is easily understood.
Sure, you can say it’s a bunch of athletes in short pants kicking the ball or trying to defend it, but there’s so much more.
The more you watch the more you see the heart and soul the kids pour into it. The athleticism and endurance. Like any sport, scoring is the primary goal, but much harder in soccer. There are strategies and plays.
You see the parents’ support, and the boys team supporting the girls team and vice versa, but you have to pay close attention to see the unselfish teamwork, even when Eli Jenkins scored all three of Central Arkansas Christian’s goals against a tough Danville team.
He did it again Saturday in a 3-1 win over Gurdon, overcoming some ridiculous yellow cards, to set up a showdown of No. 1 CAC vs. No. 2 Green Forest.
The CAC girls team, the defending Class 4A champs coached by Carter Lambert, opened with an 8-0 win over Harmony Grove. Lauren Johnson had five field goals.
The boys advanced to Saturday’s semifinals by beating Decatur 6-0 with Ben Pullen scoring three goals. Gentry Miller, Blake Smith and Jenkins had one apiece.
The girls beat Lincoln 7-0 with McKenna Moore leading the way with four goals. The CAC girls then beat Baptist Prep to advance to the championship against Harding Academy. A Church of Christ shootout.
Long before the state tournament, observations of soccer had begun, and witnessing what the sport is doing for places like Arkadelphia and De Queen.
Soccer is the world’s No. 1 sport, but in America it has been more of a participation sport, although it is a cost-efficient way for many schools to field athletic teams.
It won’t replace football, and most of the CAC boys play football, too. At small schools, many athletes play more than one sport.
Boys soccer Coach Andy Stewart gets it. He’s a former tennis and soccer player himself. When the time came, he chose soccer.
It was a great weekend, and every school should remember its accomplishment of making the state tournament. Now the whole thing moves to sports-loving Fayetteville.
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