CANNON TURNER ARKADELPHIA

Cannon Turner won on and off the field at Arkadelphia.

Turner was the quarterback for Arkadelphia’s two Class 4A state championship teams in 2017 and 2018. He also led the Badgers to a share of the 4A-7 Conference championship in 2019.

Academically, Turner helped Arkadelphia’s Quiz Bowl team win two state championships: once in 2019 as a junior, and in 2014 when he was in the sixth grade.

“He was always a straight-A student,” said J.R. Eldridge, who coached Turner at Arkadelphia for four seasons and is now at North Little Rock. “He has that ability to understand things from a football perspective. He processes things so easily.”

Turner earned a 4.2 GPA and had a 31 on the ACT. He was an AP Scholar at Arkadelphia and was a member of the Quiz Bowl team for seven years.

“He always wanted to be the best in the classroom,” Eldridge said.

In football, Turner was a two-time Class 4A state championship MVP after Arkadelphia beat Warren in 2017 and Joe T. Robinson in 2018.

Eldridge, who was hired at North Little Rock in March after spending nine seasons at Arkadelphia, already has used Turner as an example for his new players.

“His competitive nature is amazing,” Eldridge said. “His tenacity and will to perform carries over to the classroom.”

Turner is now at the Air Force Academy, where he will play football for the Falcons in the Mountain West Conference. He plans to major in engineering.

Turner was not available for an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette because he is in basic training at Air Force.