OUTSTANDING PLAYER: FOOTBALL

WHY HE WON:

Fayetteville High School senior quarterback Taylor Powell has always felt comfort in having the ball in his hands, with control of the offense, but it is his work ethic, attention to detail and competitive spirit that have allowed him to reach lofty goals during his three years behind center. In those three years as a starter, the 6-2, 200-pound quarterback has led the Bulldogs to three class 7A state-championship games, helping bring the team the title this season and last. Along his journey to this multitude of team victories, the pocket passer threw 113 touchdowns for a career class 7A record. Just this season, Powell passed for 3,473 yards with 44 touchdowns and only seven interceptions and was named the 2016-2017 Arkansas Gatorade Football Player of the Year. Powell said he is proud to have been named the 2017 All-Arkansas Preps Football Player of the Year as well. “I would say the fear of not reaching my full potential is what drives me,” he said. “I’m really proud of my efforts and all the people like the coaches and players who have been with me to get me to this point.” Powell’s father, Mark, who also played quarterback at Fayetteville from 1980 to 1982, said his son’s dreams began at a young age. “Taylor and I [have been] throwing the football since he could walk. We played in our front yard and with the neighborhood boys,” Mark said. “That continued into Boys & Girls Club youth football, where I coached him until junior high school. Once he got older, he had excellent coaching from his junior high and high school coaches.” Fayetteville High School offensive coordinator Benji Mahan said Taylor’s attitude and work ethic truly set him apart. “Taylor not only worked on drills and techniques to become a better quarterback; he was one of the hardest-working players we had in the weight room and on the field in practice,” Mahan said. “Taylor also studied our opponents and the game plan like no other player that I have ever coached. He carried his work ethic to the film room and did so with a great deal of detail and preparation.” Along with being the team’s quarterback, Taylor also played high school basketball for Fayetteville. He said he feels this versatility across various sports will help him with his goal of playing in the National Football League. “If you look at the NFL, 95 percent of the people in the NFL played multiple sports in high school, and that’s one of my goals — to get to the NFL,” he said. “I love football because it’s a combination of mental and physical, and you don’t get that out of any other sport. It’s the ultimate team game.” Taylor has committed to playing college football at the University of Missouri, where he looks to study pre-medicine.

It’s a great award because there’s so many great players in the state, but I worked hard, and I feel like I put myself in a great position to be recognized.”