LITTLE ROCK — Batesville playing for the Class 5A state championship isn’t a surprise.
Then again, it is.
“I thought all along this would be our year,” Pioneers Coach Dave King said. “Of course with the way things went, and now with injuries and stuff, it’s restored my faith in teenagers because our kids, almost to the person, have risen to the level that we needed them to rise to go on every week.”
In what once appeared an unlikely destination, Batesville (10-3) faces Camden Fairview (13-0) in the Class 5A final Friday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
Batesville also reached the Class 5A championship game last fall, losing 53-11 to Greenwood.
But with 14 starters returning and Greenwood — which has won six state championships since 2000 — moving to Class 6A for the 2012-2014 cycle, Batesville appeared to have the inside track on the road back to Little Rock.
Clearly, there were some bumps along the way. In some cases, they were more like potholes.
In the offseason, Batesville’s program was rocked by the unexpected departure of four senior starters to nearby schools. Brothers Jaron and Daron Stigger transferred to Cave City, and cousins Jordan and Emprea Childress transferred to Southside Batesville.
“I think the whole community was floored,” said Mark Lamberth, Batesville’s radio play-by-play voice since 1996.
The Childress name, specifically at tailback, was like gold at Batesville.
Jordan Childress ran for a single-season school-record 2,249 yards as a junior, breaking the previous record of 2,158 yards, set by his uncle, Tim, in 2004. Another uncle, Earnie, ran for a school-record 393 yards against Pocahontas in 1996, King’s first season at Batesville.
King has declined to comment on the transfers, preferring to talk about players who remained in his program.
All can now be considered survivors.
“I think without question this is Dave’s best coaching job,” Lamberth said.
King, 54, has become a fixture at the Independence County school 80 miles northeast of Little Rock, recording a 141-57-2 record in 17 seasons and molding the Pioneers into a statewide power in a region that had been historically dominated by Newport and Wynne.
King has led the Pioneers to four outright conference championships (2003, 2005, 2010 and 2011), at least 10 victories seven times and the Class AAAA state title in 2003, the school’s first recognized by the Arkansas Activities Association.
King grew up in Northwest Arkansas and graduated from Elkins in 1976 and John Brown University in 1981. Before landing in Batesville, King was a high school head coach in Texas.
“I really wanted to get back to Arkansas,” he said. “My kids were in the seventh and eighth grade, and I wanted to get them back closer to my parents.”
King said he was initially drawn to the vacant Mountain Home position before being tipped about an opening at Batesville by Bill Harrelson, his former offensive coordinator in Texas who has coached Gravette since 2006.
King is now the longesttenured coach in Class 5A.
“I like it here,” King said. “I’ve been offered other jobs. But, quite frankly, if you’re happy ... I’ve seen too many people chase money and chase whatever. If I wanted to do that, I should have stayed in Texas. That’s not my goal. My goal here was to be in Arkansas.
“I love Arkansas, and I love the people of Batesville. They’ve made it feel like a home to me.”
Possibly — again — a state championship home.
Following a 1-2 start, Batesville began 5A-East play 3-0 before losing at Wynne (40-27) on Oct. 12. The loss snapped Batesville’s 17-game conference winning streak and forced the Pioneers on the road for quarterfinal and semifinal playoff games.
They haven’t lost since.
Batesville beat previously unbeaten Greenbrier 38-21 in the quarterfinals and Pulaski Academy, the 2011 Class 4A state champion, 40-21 in last week’s semifinals.
With each victory came more bumps in the road.
Senior wide receiver Athan Dockery, the team’s leading receiver and fastest player, was lost for the season after breaking his ankle on the first play of the second half against Greenbrier. Senior tailback Phillip Archuleta, the team’s leading rusher, left in the second quarter against Pulaski Academy with an ankle injury.
His replacement, junior Jose Rodriguez, finished with 144 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns on 29 carries. Rodriguez is also a starting linebacker.
It’s easy to understand why King calls 2012 his most rewarding season as a coach.
“I’ve seen signs go up all over town, places that normally don’t do this: ‘Go Pioneers. Beat Camden,’ ” Lamberth said. “It’s really pulled the community together.”
This week’s games
FRIDAY
CLASS 5A FINAL WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM, LITTLE ROCK Batesville vs. Camden Fairview, 7 p.m. CLASS 4A SEMIFINALS Ozark at Highland Prairie Grove at Stuttgart CLASS 3A SEMIFINALS Prescott at Glen Rose Fountain Lake at Harding Academy CLASS 2A SEMIFINALS Mineral Springs at Bearden Walnut Ridge at Junction City
SATURDAY
CLASS 6A FINAL WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM, LITTLE ROCK Pine Bluff vs. Greenwood, noon CLASS 7A FINAL WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM, LITTLE ROCK Fayetteville vs. Bentonville, 6:30 p.m. NOTE Semifinal games begin at 7 p.m. Camden Fairview, Greenwood and Bentonville are designated home teams and their fans are asked to sit on the west side of War Memorial Stadium.
Sports, Pages 19 on 11/28/2012