MAGAZINE -- Kolton McCubbin wasn't that interested in playing football as a child.
He was first introduced to the game in little league as a second-grader, but a few games into the season, he soon realized that he wasn't that into it and quit.
A little positive peer pressure, though, convinced him to return to the game.
"The last half of the (third-grade) season, though, they were like 'Hey, we need some more guys. You should join,'" the Magazine sophomore recalled. "I played the rest of the time pretty much because people wanted me to. When I got to sixth grade, though, that's when I really started loving the game."
McCubbin's passion for football is obvious now.
He's one of seven sophomores, including two rising sophomores who moved up at the end of the freshman season, to have started every game for the Rattlers. That group has helped lead the program to its first state playoff appearance since 2020, when they lost in the second round to the Foreman Gators 34-15.
"At the end of our junior high season (last year), we played the last games of the senior high season, and it was different," McCubbin said. "I was used to starting in junior high. There were some older guys with experience, so I had to sit on the bench. That kind of opened my eyes up, and I got to see things from a different perspective from the sidelines, watching the game rather than experiencing it. I didn't really like it, so I knew I just had to keep working harder.
"The last game of the senior high season (last year), I played, so it made it a little easier coming into my senior high season because I at least did get in a game and get some experience."
McCubbin admits it's tough playing against teams loaded with upperclassmen.
Magazine (3-6) finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the 2A-1 Conference with Mountainburg (3-6) and Johnson County Westside (2-8), but the Rattlers claimed the conference's fourth playoff spot via the tiebreaker.
The Rattlers will play the 2A-2 Conference champion Des Arc Eagles in the first round on Friday night at Rollins-Hinson Field in Des Arc. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m.
"It's huge," said Magazine coach Ryan Chambers of his young team making the playoffs. "You can't simulate game experience, and the time these guys have played this year has been vital to the future of the program."
McCubbin, whose speed and quickness make him a big-play threat, is a two-way starter and also plays on special teams.
"He's a great kid with a huge upside in this program," Chambers said. "You never know how sophomores will pan out in that first year of high school ball, but he has done great this year. He is a do-it-all guy for us, leading the team in tackles and rushing and being second on the team in total catches. Anytime we need a big play, he seems like he is the one making it."
McCubbin led the Rattlers with eight carries for 33 yards and two catches for 25 yards in their 37-16 loss to 2A-1 Conference runner-up Conway Christian in the regular-season finale.
This season, he's logged 69 carries for 376 yards – a 5.4 yards per carry average – with three touchdowns. He has 14 catches for 158 yards – an average of 11.3 yards per catch – with one touchdown.
McCubbin had a season-high 17 carries for 85 yards in Magazine's win against Mountainburg, and a season-high four catches for 67 yards in the loss to Johnson County Westside.
"He's a tough-nosed kid, can run in between the tackles, has enough speed to get the edge and catches the ball well," Chambers said. "You can put him in multiple positions, and he can thrive in any situation."
Defensively, McCubbin has collected 26.5 tackles this season, including 14 solo stops and three sacks. He had season-high six tackles and 2.5 sacks in the loss to Johnson County Westside.