Scorecard

But Argos' achievement pales next to that of even tinier Parkdale, which won the Arkansas State tournament. A Class B school of 100 students—Class B is for schools too small to field a football team—located in a cotton town of 400, eight miles from the Louisiana border, Parkdale went 42-2 over the regular season, then beat Class AAAAA Pine Bluff (2,000 students) and top-ranked Marmaduke (which has only 120 students itself) to become the smallest champion in the state's history. What's more, Parkdale had no one over six feet, which made its 73-62 win over Marmaduke—6'4", 6'8" and 6'3" across the front line—well, almost biblical. And by the way, Parkdale High did not even exist four years ago.

"Anybody can compete if they pay the price," says Parkdale Coach Danny Ebbs. "It doesn't matter how small they are. Hard work can make up for lack of ability." Says the town's mayor, John Sumner Barnes, "This has meant more to the town of Parkdale than anything since...since we've had a town of Parkdale."