Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Sports Achievements: Stories Of 2017
LINCOLN — The challenge facing the Lincoln administration over the years has been to deliver as promised.
When the millage was passed to build the new high school, which was completed in time for school year 2012-2013, a lot of buzz surrounded dreams of a new “state of the art” school, plans for new baseball and softball fields connected to the high school, and new track and field facilities so that Lincoln could host track and field meets.
Similar to what Farmington is experiencing with its Phase 3 construction of a new high school campus featuring a new football stadium and something Farmington has never had — a soccer field, things got scaled down at Lincoln.
On any large-scale project the availability of funds determines what the finished product looks like. Expectations can be diminshed and ambitions toned down when choices have to be made. The public by and large generally doesn’t regularly attend school board meetings to keep up-todate on all the factors which may have an impact on funds. They may not be aware of how decisions are arrived at. Those details are not always documented in the minutes, but fans hope and long for the moment when things they long for finally arrive.
At Lincoln, proposed new baseball and softball fields had to be postponed indefinitely, a community “Safe Room” on-campus also was not part of the final project.
Recently, the Wolfpack Foundation was formed as a partner to aid the school district in fundraising and in 2017 progress was made. Lincoln installed artificial turf at Wolfpack Stadium and completed the Football Fieldhouse in September. A halftime dedication ceremony celebrated the new turf but the Wolves lost their first game on the new playing surface, 34-16, to Keys, Okla. on Friday, Sept. 8.
Lincoln suffered a disappointing 39-36 loss to 3A Mansfield Sept. 15, but played well in a 48-32 loss to No. 1 ranked Pea Ridge on Sept. 29. The Wolves’ finally won a game on the new turf with a 35-28 victory over Huntsville on Oct. 13, but dropped their final home game to Gentry, 34-14, on Oct. 27.
The junior high also had trouble winning on the new turf. Lincoln lost 28-26 at home to Gravette on Sept. 21. The junior Wolves produced their first victory on the new surface, 38-22, over Berryville on Oct. 5, then sustained heartbreaking last-minute losses at home, 16-15, to Shiloh Christian on Oct. 19; and 14-13 to Prairie Grove Nov. 2.
A number of factors worked against Lincoln success on the surface. Both squads got some bad breaks in close games that went the other way, plus opponents came in “fired-up” to compete on the turf. Lincoln scarcely got to practice on it before they were kicking off and competing. Perhaps, with a year under their belts both the Wolves and junior Wolves will grow accustomed to the turf and begin to excel in 2018. There has to be a turning point somewhere. Maybe, 2018 will become the year.