by Levi Gilbert

At 2-6, this is not what Beau Stevenson had imagined for his senior season, but he’s not giving up.

“This season has not gone as expected, but we are going to continue fighting until the end,” Stevenson said. “As a team, our goal is to play every game in a way that honors and glorifies God. I’m going to keep pushing and playing at the level I am capable of playing even when times get tough, and I’m going to cherish every moment I get to spend playing the game I love.”

At 1-4 in 5-2A play, the Eagles currently sit on the outside looking in at the sixth spot. The top five teams in each 2A conference earn a playoff berth. But there is still hope. 

If the Eagles can win out, they could still earn their way into that fifth and final spot, but they’ll need some help. The Eagles need England to lose their last two games to jump them in the 5-2A win-loss column. 

The first step is defeating Magnet Cove this week. The Panthers sit atop the 5-2A with a perfect 5-0 conference mark. 

“It would mean a lot to me personally to ruin Magnet Cove’s record because I have never lost to Magnet Cove in my entire football career,” Stevenson said. “It is going to take full effort, full focus and full execution against a team as technically sound as Magnet Cove.”

Stevenson was selected to this year’s 501 Football Team – 27 players representing all 11 counties of the 501. The team, sponsored by Conway Regional Health System, First Security Bank and Conway Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Center, boasts the best the 501 has to offer both on and off the field. The senior offensive and defensive lineman was nominated by his head coach, Justin Kramer.

“On the field, Beau gives maximum effort, consistency and great leadership,” Kramer wrote in his nomination. “Off the field, he is very humble. He’s involved in all aspects of student life. Beau has been called upon to anchor the offensive and defensive lines.”

Beau was first drawn to football by his brother, Tanner Stevenson, who was named to the inaugural 501 Football Team in 2011. 

“My brother made me want to play football because I have looked up to him my entire life,” Beau Stevenson said.
In addition to football, Beau also plays baseball for the Conway Christian Eagles. He plans to continue pursuing football in college. Off the field, he’s involved in drama club and Future Business Leaders of America. 

As his high school football days come to an end, Stevenson is living out a simple motto. 

“Never cheat yourself,” he said. “That way, when you look back on your career, you don’t have any regrets.”

Stevenson and the Eagles continue 5-2A play at Magnet Cove at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1.