‘Highlight’ Halbert Leads Prairie Grove

Jon Halbert, top, and Jared Murphy led Prairie Grove to a 12-1 season and the Class 4A state semifinals for only the second time in school history.
Jon Halbert, top, and Jared Murphy led Prairie Grove to a 12-1 season and the Class 4A state semifinals for only the second time in school history.

— Heisman Trophy winner Johnny “Football” Manziel isn’t the only player around with a great nickname.

Meet Jon “Highlight” Halbert of Prairie Grove.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jon Halbert

Prairie Grove

POSITION: Wide receiver, defensive back

CLASS: Senior

HEIGHT: 5-8

WEIGHT: 165

NOTABLE: Led Prairie Grove with 10 interceptions on defense and 17 catches for 436 yards on offense. ... Also returned kickoffs and punts. ... Finished with 48 tackles this season and broke up nine passes. ... Caught eight touchdowns passes, including one for 48 yards.

“I’m pretty sure we gave him that nickname last year after he ran an interception back against Farmington,” Prairie Grove defensive coordinator Craig Laird said. “He probably doesn’t like that name because he’s such a humble kid. But he was a great player for us and just a pleasure to coach.”

Halbert was a two-way terror this season for the Tigers, who finished 12-1 and reached the Class 4A state semifinals for only the second time in school history. Halbert led Prairie Grove receivers with 17 catches for 436 yards and eight touchdowns. But his biggest impact came on defense, where he intercepted 10 passes, including four in one game against Pea Ridge.

For his efforts, Halbert is the All-NWA Media Player of the Year.

“Jon is irreplaceable with the things he brings to the team,” Prairie Grove coach Danny Abshier said of Halbert, who also returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown this season. “He’s a straight-ahead, blue-collar kind of guy with a great attitude and a terrific sense of competition. He was invaluable to us.”

Halbert’s biggest highlight came on Oct. 19 during an important 4A-1 Conference game at Pea Ridge. Both teams entered the game undefeated and the scored was tied 0-0 at halftime. But Prairie Grove erupted in the second half and won the game 31-0 with the help of a four interceptions and 29-yard touchdown catch by Halbert.

But true to form, the humble Halbert was more eager recently to talk about his coach’s halftime speech than the big plays he made against Pea Ridge.

“That was a fun game for me, definitely,” said Halbert, who had three of his four interceptions in the second half. “But the thing I remember most is coach Abshier’s halftime speech. He said all the right things, got us fired up, and we came out in the second half and went to work.”

There isn’t much idle time for Halbert, who carries a 4.0 grade point average while playing football, basketball, and baseball for the Tigers. Just days after Prairie Grove was eliminated by Stuttgart in the state semifinals, Halbert joined some other football players on the Tigers’ basketball team.

After basketball he’ll move on to baseball, where he is a starting center fielder for a team that will contend for a state baseball title.

“It’s a great year to be a Prairie Grove Tiger, but every year is a great year to be a Prairie Grove Tiger,” said Halbert, who intercepted five passes as a junior. “I love being here and playing all sports, especially football.”

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