Pierce Guthrie

SCHOOL Bentonville West High School

PARENTS Jonathon and Toni Guthrie

SIBLINGS Virginia Guthrie (Sister)

SPORTS YOU PLAY Soccer and Cross Country

FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL MEMORY My favorite high school memory was staying at the Howard Johnson Hotel when we went to the State Tournament last season.

We still tell some funny stories from our stay there.

PLANS AFTER GRADUATION I’m going to attend the United

States Military Academy at West Point where I will major in Management and minor in History.

FAVORITE PLAYLIST Anything I can relax to while I do my schoolwork. I mainly prefer Lo-Fi Rap Remixes. FAVORITE FOOD Lasagna.

FAVORITE TV SHOW Futurama.

FAVORITE MOVIE Ready Player One. TWITTER HANDLE @pierce_guthrie

ROLE MODELS My grandfather and my father.

INFLUENTIAL COACH A few coaches that have been very influential to me are John Marshall, Mark Hamiter, and Wayne Smith. FAVORITE TEACHER AND SUBJECT My favorite class was Physics with Mr. Brett Bell, or Sophomore English with Mrs. Christine Stewart. WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS I see myself serving in the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel.

IN YOUR WORDS, HOW HAS COVID-19 AFFECTED YOU The Covid-19 outbreak has not only cost me my soccer season, but has cost me the greatest moments in my high school career. As children we all look forward to our Senior Prom, playing in a state championship, and getting to be the leaders on our teams and in our clubs as we began our transitions from seniors in high school to adults in the real world. For me personally, this was the first year that I have gotten to be a captain on the BWHS Soccer team. I played on JV my freshman year and sophomore year, and was ecstatic when I was able to make the move to Varsity my junior season. I hadn’t played soccer for many years before my freshman year, so my coaches, teammates, and family pushed me every single day to better myself as a soccer player and as a young man. I worked my butt off for a few years and becoming a part of the Varsity squad was a dream come true. All my hard work had paid off this season, though, when I was able to step on the field as a captain of the team. Being able to set the example for my younger teammates and keep them level-headed during games was something I never thought I’d be capable of doing, but through the long hours on the field I had become a leader and gained confidence in myself. Although my season was cut short, I was to prove to myself that I have exceptional leadership qualities that I will be able to carry with me throughout my life. I owe this in large part to my coaches John Marshall and Wayne Smith. They developed me not only as a soccer player, but as a young man as well. I know that because of my experiences on the field I will be able to set a great example for those around me in whatever I do throughout my lifetime. WHAT WILL YOU MISS MOST FROM THIS SEASON I will miss the camaraderie with the boys more than anything.

In Their Words focuses on Northwest Arkansas senior athletes who participate in spring sports, which have been affected by the covid-19 outbreak. This feature will allow these seniors to say, in their own words, how the pandemic has affected them in their final year of high school sports. To be considered for In Their Words, email csouza@ nwadg.com or direct message @nwachip on Twitter.

Guthrie