CONWAY -- McCrory High School fans get another opportunity Friday night to celebrate their state championship team.
Quarterback Cade Campbell will represent the Jaguars in the 61st annual Arkansas High School Coaches Association's All-Star football game at Estes Stadium on the University of Central Arkansas campus.
At a glance
AHSCA All-Star Football
WHEN 7 p.m.
WHERE Estes Stadium, Conway
TICKETS $6
SERIES East leads 32-26-1
LAST YEAR Game canceled (weather conditions)
Campbell led McCrory to its first Class 2A state championship in December, defeating Rison at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. He passed for 153 yards and one touchdown against Rison.
Being a part of the East All-Star team is an honor, Campbell said.
"You get to come up here after winning a state championship and represent your school and your town, it's pretty awesome," said Campbell, who passed for 1,077 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
McCrory, which has a population of 1,729 in Woodruff County and is 83 miles northeast of Little Rock, has enjoyed its state championship football team over the past seven months. The Jaguars finished 14-0 in 2015, led by a 14-member senior class that included Campbell, running back Kaigen Rogo and linebacker Hunter Davis.
"You go and get your haircut and people still talk about it," Campbell said. "It's pretty neat."
McCrory Coach Chris Kennon is the East head coach this week. He graduated from McCrory in 1994 and said the Jaguars winning a state championship was something the town has waited for a long time.
"It was a big thing," Kennon said. "We've had a lot of tradition in town. But they've never been able to get over the hump. So many trips to the quarterfinals, semifinals and even a few trips to the championship game, but never being able to get over that hump. But finally getting to get a championship for that town meant a lot to those people."
Kennon said not having Campbell -- who will play baseball at Harding University in Searcy -- in the McCrory program anymore is a loss.
"He's just a special kid who's been with us all the way through," Kennon said. "He's done such a great job. He set an example for our kids in our program. I expect him to set a great example this week, too."
As far as Friday's game goes, Kennon said while he wants the East to win, he wants the players to enjoy themselves in their final high school-related athletic activity.
"We want them to have a good experience," Kennon said. "We want them to have a memory for a lifetime."
Just like Kennon's Jaguars provided their town in December.
Sports on 06/22/2016