I never had more fun covering a team. But at the start, driving into the Missouri hills and splitting the rocky walls that bookend Interstate 49, the butterflies flew.
You're just on the way to a high school game -- McDonald County's opener against Aurora -- I reminded myself that August evening. Settle down. Even if it has been more than a quarter-century since your last Friday night assignment, you wrote about prep sports for eight years before moving to the editing desk. Counting the playoffs, that's a ballpark figure of 80 football games under your belt. You know the drill. Now go shake off the rust.
So, a newspaperman who hadn't written much for years followed a team that hadn't won much for years, and it turned into a year neither will soon forget.
I felt a good vibe after that opener, a 33-22 McDonald County victory. My trip home was halted by a flat tire near Pea Ridge, Ark. A pair of Mustangs -- Samuel Murphy and Peyton O'Neill -- already out to assist a friend with a flat, saw me working on my car in a convenience store parking lot. They volunteered, then changed the tire. I thanked the two and figured if they'd help a sportswriter nobody knew, they were nice enough to help anybody.
I'd witnessed a good deed and quickly realized I was watching a good group. These weren't the same Mustangs who once struggled season after season. They stood at 2-1 following a road loss to powerhouse Lamar but bounced back with a tone-setting 31-14 homecoming triumph over Monett, igniting an eight-game winning streak. Soon, they were ranked in a state poll for the first time ever.
With quarterback Cole Martin, the Big 8 West offensive player of the year, masterfully manning the controls, McDonald County averaged 31.3 points per game. The Mustangs thrived on the ground and in the air.
The aggressive defense, especially tough against the run, finished with two shutouts.
During the streak, each victory seemed to bring a new program milestone. The biggest came in the 35-0 rematch rout of Monett in the first round of the District 6 playoffs. It was McDonald County's ninth win, breaking the all-time school victories record set by the 8-1 squad of 1965.
As the Mustangs developed into contenders, this old dog learned a new trick: Photography. Results were mixed but seemed to improve a little each week. At least that's what some people said. I did breathe a sigh of relief after the homecoming photos were in focus.
You didn't just see McDonald County's success on the field, you heard it in the voices of the faithful fans who filled Mustang Stadium. The pride those in the crowd -- whether parents, siblings, students or townspeople -- took in the team was obvious. They were loud and loyal. Not surprisingly, the Mustangs went 7-0 at home.
As a journalist, I must remain impartial and report the facts. But it was nice to watch McDonald County flip an old script, go 10-2 and advance to the district final.
And it was nice to get back in the writing game.
No matter how much glory the future holds, there'll never be another McDonald County football season quite like 2021. The one that turned the tide. The Mustangs put aside the past and reached new heights.
I'm glad I was there for the ride.
-- Al Gaspeny started as a sports correspondent for the Arkansas Gazette in 1987. He's worked for newspapers, including The (Springdale, Ark.) Morning News and the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, as a writer, page designer, editor or supervisor for more than 30 years. Gaspeny graduated from the University of Arkansas with a journalism degree. Opinions expressed are those of the author.