Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

9/1/2010 at 10:21am

Image by Amy Glover Bryant

Springdale Har-Ber (above) and Shiloh Christian won state titles in 2009. Their success last year and prospects for another big season have both programs ranked in USA Today's Super 25 national high school poll.

Football has been a way of life in Springdale for decades. The town’s reputation has been known inside the state, but is now being further recognized nationally.

Springdale Har-Ber and Shiloh Christian are each ranked in USA Today’s “Super 25” national poll. Har-Ber is No. 13 overall and the Saints are No. 23.

How did football get so good in the Northwest corner of the state? It’s a topic we explored in our 2010 Football Preview issue.

Rob Keys traced the success back to former Springdale High Coach Jarrell Williams. Under Williams’ guidance Springdale High won four state titles in 1968, 1969, 1982 and 1989. SHS followed that with a 2005 state title and No. 4 final ranking in USA Today's Super 25.

Here's more from Keys' article:

What Williams started has only mushroomed since he retired after the 2000 season. Springdale High won another state title under Gus Malzahn in 2005, and Shiloh Christian has a total of six championships since 1998.

Malzahn was the head coach of the 1998 Saints, Wood was the offensive coordinator, and Floyd the quarterback. Wood eventually succeeded Malzahn and won the 2001 state championship.

Wood has been the only head coach Har-Ber has had in its four-year history, scoring a runner-up finish in 2007 in addition to last season’s championship. And while he conceded a few worries about “the unknowns” involved in starting a new program, he never worried about the local talent pool.

“If you live within these city limits,” Wood said, “you know the boys are going to play football.”

Clearly, the respect for the city’s football tradition is growing outside the state. Players like Har-Ber offensive lineman Brey Cook (an Arkansas commitment) and Shiloh Christian quarterback Kiehl Frazier (Auburn) have drawn national recruiting attention.

By the way, Shiloh Christian plays No. 1 Trinity Euless (Texas) on Sept. 6 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. A win there would further strengthen the reputation of the Saints and the town of Springdale.

Tagged: Springdale Har-Ber, Arkansas Razorbacks, USA Today, Super 25, Auburn Tigers, Brey Cook, Chris Wood, Jerrell Williams, Josh Floyd, Kiehl Frazier