MaxPreps Names Bentonville Nation's Best Athletic Program

STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Bentonville players celebrate their Class 7A state girls soccer championship following the Lady Tigers’ 3-2 victory May 24 over Bryant at Razorback Field in Fayetteville. It was one of eight state titles for Bentonville, which won the CBS MaxPreps Cup title for the nation’s best high school athletic program.

STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Bentonville players celebrate their Class 7A state girls soccer championship following the Lady Tigers’ 3-2 victory May 24 over Bryant at Razorback Field in Fayetteville. It was one of eight state titles for Bentonville, which won the CBS MaxPreps Cup title for the nation’s best high school athletic program.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

When Bentonville finished eighth nationally in the CBS MaxPreps Cup standings last year, athletic director Scott Passmore said he joked around with his coaches before the school year started about how the school's athletic program should win it this time around.

"Turns out, the joke was on me," Passmore said Tuesday afternoon.

At A Glance

Final CBS MaxPreps Cup 2013-14 Point Standings

1. Bentonville^1,120

2. Atlanta (Ga.) St. Pius X Catholic^985

3. Honolulu (Hawaii) Punahou^980

4. Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas^967

5. Atlanta (Ga.) Marist^918

6. Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage^834

7. Carmel, Ind.^832

8. Edmond (Okla.) Deer Creek^804

9. Martinsville (N.J.) The Pingry School^799

10. Plymouth (Minn.) Wayzata^766

Thanks to eight state championships and a runnerup finish in three other sports, Bentonville was a runaway winner for the MaxPreps Cup, which recognizes the nation's best overall high school sports program. Bentonville finished the final standings with 1,120 points, while Atlanta (Ga.) St. Pius X Catholic was a distant second with 985.

Honolulu (Hawaii) Punahou was third with 980, followed by Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas with 967 and Atlanta (Ga.) Marist with 918.

"Who would have thought when I was joking around that our school would have done this?" Passmore said. "This is such a great honor. When I was informed about it, I was super excited for all the athletes, coaches and families to be recognized in such a way.

"When you start to consider there are more than 25,000 schools nationally, it's a huge honor. It's such a team effort and a tribute to our staff, our administration and our community, as well as those who support us. It's a shock to get on the website and see Bentonville there at the top."

The MaxPreps Cup rankings give points to a school for state championships or runnerup finishes in a number of sports. Not every sport contested at the state level is included in the MaxPreps Cup standings. Points were also awarded for national rankings, as well as the school's classification size, the state's size and the type of sport.

MaxPreps writer Kevin Askeland, who compiled the rankings, noted Bentonville's strong finish in spring sports -- state titles in boys and girls track, boys and girls soccer and a state runnerup finish in softball -- as the main reason the school vaulted out of its 10th-place standing when winter sports were completed. Bentonville also won state championships this year in football, boys tennis, boys swimming and girls swimming and was the state runnerup in volleyball, wrestling and girls tennis.

"Bentonville had one of the most impressive performances of any school in the country this year, especially during the spring," Askeland said. "The eight state championships were the second-highest total in the country, but they also came in the highest enrollment classification in the state.

"Five of the championships came in sports with high participation rates -- football, boys and girls track and boys and girls soccer -- which was also key in building their point totals."

Bentonville was the only Arkansas school to finish among the top 25 in the MaxPreps Cup standings. Schools in close proximity of Bentonville that finished in the top 25 included Edmond (Okla.) Deer Creek (eighth place, 804 points) and Columbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge (11th, 743).

Passmore said he will begin to make plans for Bentonville's athletic teams to be recognized for its latest accomplish at a later date.

Sports on 07/23/2014