Originally Published February 2023
Having bragging rights to the first state football championship since 1978 is no small feat. Finding out the experience comes with a four-year all-expenses-paid ride to a university; a chance at a brighter future via a post-secondary education; and an opportunity to continue to compete in a beloved sport because of athletic talent is a field of dreams.
For six Parkview Arts/Science Magnet High School football players and one cheerleader, scouts from in and out-of-state universities laid their cards on the table in the gym on February 8. The students sat next to a congratulatory cake, their newly signed contracts, beaming parents, and cheers from teachers and classmates who watched the ceremony and witnessed their outstanding season as it unfolded last fall.
“It means a lot. I’ve been working out hard. My parents have helped me a lot so I can do what I love to do. It makes me feel like the job is done, but it’s just the start of something bigger,” Haney said.
Students will have to remain eligible to play. However, if they keep their game faces on - they will be the recipients of a free college education. While natural talent is a given for some, the rest was the result of good coaching, hard work, lots of practice, the sacrifice of social time to keep grades up, and sheer determination to follow their dreams – no matter the odds.
The seven students, all seniors, have signed with the following universities:
McKenzie Landry, cheerleader, grabbed her brass ring with Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia.
Landry was coached by Tamika Gore, Regina Hampton and Britta Watson.
Isiah McKenzie and Ramar Smith signed with Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO;
Tayvion Haney will attend Alcorn University, seven miles east of Lorman, Mississippi;
Willie Eackles will tackle his education at Missouri Southern in Joplin, MO.;
Chris Franklin is headed to the University of Tennessee in Martin;
and Darien Bennett will attend Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, KS.
The boys football team was led by head coach Brad Bolding, and assistant coaches Clay Bemberg, Caleb Albert, Cameron Albert, Jarrod Chandler, Robert Bolding and Timothy Turner.
McKenzie Landry, 18, of North Little Rock, is flanked by her mother, LaShana Flowers and father Darnell Landry shortly after signing with Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, AR.
A crowd of teachers, staff, and students cheer the players on as they sign their college contracts.
Cover Photo:
Six Parkview football players and one cheerleader signed college offers while students and teachers watched on February 8. “I was thinking it was a dream come true. All the hard work we put in for four years paid off,” senior Tayvion Haney said. From left: Seniors Chris Franklin, Willie Eackles, Isiah McKenzie, Ramar Smith, Tayvion Haney, and Darien Bennett sit at the table waiting to sign. Members of McKenzie Landry’s family are on the end of the table and Eackles’ father, Willie Eackles, senior, stands behind him