Alma seniors playing for 5A-West title Friday night
By Kevin Taylor
Alma Schools
Two years ago, Donald Mulligan was among a throng of sophomores looking starry-eyed at the field hoping to one day make an impact.
That moment arrived this year.
“It’s going to be sad and good, in all types of ways, from when we came here as sophomores,” Mulligan said. “We only won two or three games that year, and now leaving with the amount of games we’ve won as a team, and how we’ve come together as a team, it’s going to bring a lot of emotions to everybody.”
The Airedales won two games in 2020 and finished 3-7 in 2021.
This year’s Senior Class has posted a 13-6 record over its last 19 games. And, a win over No. 2 Shiloh Christian Friday would not only extend the team’s number of home games to at least five but give the Airedales their first 5A-West championship since 2013.
“Playing for a conference championship at the house, in the last regular season home game for us, it’s going to be crazy,” senior lineman Richard Taylor said. Like Mulligan and many others, Taylor is a first-year starter who paid his dues.
“I’ve played here my whole life, from seventh grade to now being a senior in high school and playing on Friday nights, I’ve dreamed about this since I was a little kid,” Taylor said. “And now that we’re playing for a conference championship on Senior Night, it’s crazy. I never thought we would be doing this.”
Alma is one play away from behind 6-0 in league play. Instead, by virtue of the heartbreaking late loss to Harrison three weeks ago, Alma needs to beat the Saints in order to avoid a first-round playoff date with defending 5A state champion Parkview.
The Patriots defeated the Saints (31-21) in last season’s 5A title game.
But the Airedales are eager for the challenge, Mulligan said.
“There is a rich history and a winning school, and they (coaches) coach us like that,” he said. “They coach us to be men, to be winners, and to be dawgs. They do that really great here at Alma.”
Mulligan has contributed on both sides of the football, but most notably on the defensive line.
Taylor has had his moments at left guard, too. He and fellow senior Zach Millsap have meshed quite nicely with sophomores Easton Daily and Joey Lynn, and junior Jayden Parker. Senior Eric Johnson has also supplied key minutes on the offensive line.
The group is responsible for one of Alma’s biggest scoring outputs ever. Through eight games, the Airedales are averaging 39.1 points per game. That number would probably be closer to 40-plus had the Airedales been able to play Dardanelle in Week 9. The Sand Lizard forfeited last week, reportedly, due to low numbers.
The Alma school record for points per game is 34.6 set in 2017.
“The boys are great,” Taylor said. “Jackson (Daily), he’s a huge part of our offense. Thank God he’s such a good athlete because he takes a lot of pressure off the offensive line. Me being a first-year starter on the offensive line, it makes a big difference. And Carlos (Gonzalez) and Izzy (Isreal Towns-Robinson), they run hard and make our job a whole lot easier. I trust my O-line … Zach, Eric, Jayden, Joey, Easton, we’re all growing each and every day to make us better. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”