BENTONVILLE — It was easy to see how ecstatic Alex Westermeyer was to be a part of the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Football All-Star Game this week.
The smile that crossed the Bentonville center’s face Sunday afternoon said it all.
“I’m excited about it,” said Westermeyer, who will be a member of the West team for today’s 7 p.m. game in Reynolds Razorback Stadium. “It’s something that not everybody gets to do, so it’s an honor to be selected.
“I’m ready to go out there and start playing again. I’ve missed it, and it’s time to go.”
Not only is Westermeyer happy, but he’s also healthy and at full strength. That’s something he couldn’t say about his senior season as he played through a pair of injuries, yet he remained the Tigers’ starting center.
He played through most of the regular season with a broken bone in his leg, an injury he suffered during the third quarter of the 7A-West Conference opener against Fayetteville. If that wasn’t enough, he sprained the muscles around his spine in a second-round playoff game against West Memphis and played through the rest of the Class 7A State Championship game.
“It really wasn’t the ideal situation, but it’s something you just have to endure and play as well as you can,” he said. “It was pretty difficult to move, let alone run and do all that kind of stuff. Now it’s just nice to be able to run and power and do the stuff that I used to do.”
Many all-stars must make position changes as coaches look to fill certain voids in the lineup. Westermeyer could have been a logical choice since he played guard during his junior season.
Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton, who is the West head coach, had a simple reason for not moving Westermeyer. He will be snapping the ball back to a familiar person — former Bentonville quarterback Dallas Hardison, who was a late addition to the West roster.
“I like the fact that Alex and Dallas work together,” Patton said. “They have that bond and know each other. That was a real easy choice. When Dallas was picked, we knew that Alex was going to be the center.
“Alex is an awesome kid. He has a great personality, he’s funny — and he’s a real good center. They do a great job at Bentonville on teaching how to block, and it’s been a pleasure to coach him.”
The all-star game also serves as a springboard to college for Westermeyer. He signed a letter of intent with Southern Nazarene in Bethany, Okla. The Crimson Storm, who are making the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II status, provided him with a workout plan, which he used to prepare for the summer.
College preseason workouts are still two months away, but Westermeyer is in no rush to get there.
“With high school, it was a lot of weights and little reps,” he said. “With the way the college is doing it, it’s still a lot of weights, but a lot more reps. If high school was an 8 in toughness, then college would have to be an 11 or a 12.
“I’m excited about college, but right now I’m enjoying still being a kid and living with my parents and my sister. I like being around Bentonville and having run around there.”