479 High School Sports Magazine

June 1, 2026 - Season Finale (Bentonville Softball - Life Way Christian Soccer)

Our maiden season comes to a close this week as we recap the year in high school sports, which saw twelve area teams win titles in the fall, six more in the winter and ten in the spring, along with a number of individual championship performances. We speak with Bentonville softball coach Kent Early, whose team shattered the team record for home runs during the regular season and used its pitching and defense to win its third consecutive state championship, tying the streak it set from 2016 to 2018 and moving into second overall with eight titles overall. We also visit with Life Way Christian soccer coach James Bowers, whose Lady Warriors successfully defended its 3A championship and will move up to Class 4A due to the competitive equity factor governing non-public schools. We will also present a quick preview of the upcoming fall season as we prepare to begin our second season August 3.

May 25, 2026 - Week of Champions Recap (Farmington Softball, Bentonville and Decatur Boys' Soccer)

Twenty state champions were crowned during the Weekend of Champions in Hot Springs. with Northwest Arkansas schools bringing home seven of them... We visit with Farmington softball coach Jason Shirey, whose Cardinals rallied past Benton for the 5A championship that gave them two titles in three finals appearances this school year, matching the Bryant boys for top performances among schools. We also hear from Bentonville boys' soccer coach Mike Devaney, whose Tigers returned to the top of the largest classification a decade after ending a three-year reign with their win over Har-Ber. Bentonville would also beat Har-Ber for the 6A softball title while Har-Ber won the 6A baseball championship over Bryant. And we hear from Decatur boys' soccer coach Eddie Lucio, whose Bulldogs brought home their first state championship in the 3A final against a Little Rock Episcopal team that entered on a twenty-one match winning streak. Other highlights saw Life Way Christian repeat as 3A girls' soccer champions over Maumelle Charter and get moved up to 4A next season due to the competitive equity factor for non-public schools. Siloam Springs also returned to state championship form with a 5A boys' final win over El Dorado. Bentonville West would fall short in its bid to keep the 6A girls' soccer trophy in the Bentonville district after Little Rock's Mount St. Mary prevailed. The Arkansas Decathlon and Heptathlon would close out the track and field season and Marcus Myhan of Bentonville West turned in a stellar day two performance to snatch the title of top all-around athlete after a missed high jump left him in 15th after the opening day. Bryant's D'Ariah Harris would hold off a hard-charging Briana Fogarty of Bentonville to win the girls' all-around crown, passing Matti Moore of Fayetteville, who led after the first day.

May 18, 2026 - State Tournament Recap

We recap the Arkansas baseball, softball and soccer tournaments and preview the finals set to take place in Hot Springs for the Weekend of Champions. The Meet of Champions also took place in Russellville this week with the decathlon/heptathlon wrapping up the track and field season at Har-Ber.

May 11, 2026 - Baseball/Softball Regular Season Final/Regionals (Rogers Baseball) - Soccer - Track and Field - Lacrosse Recap (Bentonville)

The regular season for baseball, softball and soccer completed the regular season among the larger classifications while the smaller classes were in the regional stage. Rogers baseball coach Matt Melson spoke about the team's seventh conference title in a row. We also recapped the state track and field classification meets. We also recapped the lacrosse season with Bentonville boys' coach Paxton Boyer, whose team won its third state championship in a row. He spoke about the continued growth in the sport as rivalries were starting to take shape.

May 4, 2026 - Spring Sports Update - Lacrosse Finals

We head toward the final week of the regular season in the larger classifications for baseball and softball, while the district tournaments took place in the smaller classifications. The high school soccer season also approached its final week. The Natural State Lacrosse League held its championship weekend in Conway, and we spoke with Boys' Commissioner Phil Rottermich about the sport's growth. The conference meets in track and field also took place as athletes took their final opportunity to qualify for the state meets.