Sitting in the stands on a sunny autumn afternoon at Mustang Stadium, Steve Parnell laughed.
The glistening-green artificial turf displayed before him, complemented by the red and black school colors of McDonald County, painted a far different picture than the playing surface from his days.
"It was so short, we only had 5-yard end zones," Parnell said of the long-ago field, which was behind the armory in Anderson. "And rocks, we had plenty of McDonald County rocks that would happen to show up. So this is just incredible, the facilities that we have. Everything is so great for the kids."
Much has changed since Parnell was the senior quarterback in 1965, when the 8-1 Mustangs posted the best record in team history. They competed in the Spring Valley Conference then, not the current Big 8. Over the decades, consolidation transformed the area's education and sports landscapes.
For the first time in 56 years, the Mustangs are again 8-1. And one thing hasn't changed: A Parnell is helping make it happen.
This time, it's Jack, Steve's grandson and a junior receiver. Growing up in the sports-oriented family, Jack heard about his grandfather's career.
"He'd always tell us about his high school days," Jack said. "Back when I was in high school, we actually set the record and everything. And I'd always just think about what it would be like whenever I was in high school."
McDonald County matched the mark with last week's 20-0 victory over Cassville. The significance wasn't lost on Jack and his teammates.
"It felt like a relief because really, for as long as I can remember, just knowing that one day, when my grade and the group ahead of us, the group behind us, once we get in high school, we're going to start making changes and change the culture around here," Jack said. "From the very beginning, we knew that we had a pretty good shot at beating this record. We were close last year, and we knew that we could do it this year."
From an early age, Jack wanted to shine for McDonald County in the Friday night lights.
"It was pee-wee football, playing every Saturday out here, going on the road and everything," Jack said of his gridiron start. "And always looking up to the players in high school."
He and his grandfather talked about more than sports.
"A lot of things more, being a better man, being a good brother," Jack said.
There's not one clear reason for the Mustangs' football woes during the gap between the landmark seasons.
"I had no idea it would take 56 years to reach this point," said Steve, who's 73 and a corporate pilot. "The football program, we're not really sure why it really never did get off the ground here. But now it all seems to be clicking. It's been a long time getting here, and we want to stay up where we are."
Grandfather and grandson both credit coaching for largely sparking the successes of 1965 and 2021. Steve's coach was the late Mickey Heatherly, who started the program. Jack's Mustangs are led by Kellen Hoover, continuing to engineer the turnaround in his fifth year at the helm.
"He's a lot like coach Hoover," Steve said of Heatherly. "He's one of those guys that'd you'd just about do anything in the world for. He was really a leader. When Jack comes in and talks about coach Hoover, it sounds to me just like it was for us."
The eighth-ranked Mustangs can set their own standard by getting a ninth win and defeating visiting Monett (2-7) in the first round of the Class 4 District 6 playoffs Friday night.
"Records are made to be broken," Steve said. "What better [way than to] have your grandson on the team that breaks it."
