BENTONVILLE — Courtney Haskell's passion for football manifested itself all the time.
In the weight room. On the practice field. During film study. And, of course, on Friday nights. But one moment in particular made Bentonville coach Barry Lunney break out in laughter and grin with pride.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back who transferred from Warren for his senior season caught a perfectly thrown pass during one of his first workouts at Bentonville.
"Courtney has more talent than anyone I've coached," Lunney said. "But the thing people don't know about him is his love for the game. He always had a smile on his face and he always was an encourager.
"I remember the day he caught that pass, he ran over to the quarterback. Here's our future college running back, and he's patting our third-string QB on the butt and yelling about how great a throw it was. That's just the kind of kid Courtney is."
As Lunney alluded, it didn't take long for the Tigers to warm to Haskell, this year's all-Northwest Arkansas Big 6 Newcomer of the Year. From the time they met him until Bentonville lost to Fort Smith Southside in the quarterfinals of the Class 7A playoffs, they accepted Haskell as one of their own.
Haskell, who led the 7A-West Conference with 1,242 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns this season, said he appreciated the immediate acceptance.
"I love my teammates," Haskell said. "It was a great year. I give all credit to my offensive line, and I had so much fun being in the backfield with (quarterback) Pearson (Gean) and (running back Shane) Boedeker."
Lunney said Haskell approached every practice with the same enthusiasm and intensity -- his love for football showing at every moment. That focus and passion also helped Haskell produce with consistency, enough that recruiters from many major colleges have their eyes on him.
Haskell is still attempting to quality academically, Lunney said, and could go the junior-college route. Haskell averaged 7.9 yards per carry and also hauled in eight passes for 253 yards and two scores.
"He's a great young man, and he's one I'll remember for a long time," Bentonville running back coach Rick Rachel said. "He has a great mix of talent and love for the game. He's one of the most gifted kids I've seen, and he just worked so hard all the time. He was always at his best."
Haskell likely would've topped 100 rushing yards in every game had he not shared carries with Boedeker and had the Tigers not blown out several opponents.
Two performances, in particular, stood out to Lunney.
Haskell tallied 270 total yards and three touchdowns on only 14 touches during the Tigers' 45-10 victory on Sept. 25 at Fayetteville. He then exploded two weeks later for 225 rushing yards and five scores on 17 carries in Bentonville's 56-27 blowout victory over Rogers Heritage on Oct. 9.
"His ability to make the transition into our system was so impressive," Lunney said. "He worked so hard at it, and he picked it up. He became a complete running back, a kid some college will be lucky to get. I saw him improve in every area.
"He can do more than just outrun people. He can block. He can catch. He can do it all."
Profile
COURTNEY HASKELL
School: Bentonville
Position: Running Back
Class: Senior
Height: 5-11
Weight: 200
Notable: Led the 7A-West Conference with 1,242 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns this season. ... Transferred to Bentonville for his senior year for family reasons after living his entire life in Warren. ... Lettered three seasons at Warren, including his freshman year when he played in the Class 4A state championship game.