1. Triumphant though wet , the senior team gives Coach Bardell a victory ride after w imlillg tile Class A State Cilampiolt sllip. 2. Coach Bill Barden: SA CelltraJ Coach of the Year. 3. The cheer "Notlli,, ' Call stop tile red machine" appl ies to fans as well as players, especially the large lIumber who sllowed up ill spite of rain and cold. 4. During a break ill the game , Coach Barden discusses tile strategy wilh quarterback Gregg Bardell. 5. "We're Itumber Oll e!" shouts the fo otball team as the cllampiolls/tip plaque is raised. 6. The compulerized scoreboard ill - di cat es th e olle alld ollly touc1ldoWI1 or th e game. 7, Words can 't begin to express til e emotiO,1 displayed 011 Andy Th omas's fa ce after the will . Wildcats "Fire It Up" Despite Downpour Rain came alternately in drizzle and downpour , but Wildcat fans were not about to let a few raindrops dampen their spirit , especially when the hopes and dreams of the 1983 foutball season were about to be realized. The parents, cheerleaders, and students fo rmed a crepe-paperdraped caravan and drove dovvn to War Memorial Stadum in Little Rock for Coach Bill Barden's third state championship game. The team had traveled to the stadium much earlie r in the day , equipped wi th brand new turf shoes and high hopes for a victory over the Gould Panthe rs. Umbrellas, raincoats, afld rainboots were seen in abundance. The excitement and tension could be felt in the air, mingled vvith strains of the Harding figh t song , the aroma of hot popcorn, and the "Hup, two, three, four," of teams as they executed their pre-game warmup activities. Before running onto the field , the team was elqted to hear the announcer ask the Wildcat victory line to "please move back so the line will not pass the forty-yard mark"! With a mighty roar the Wildcats entered the field area and demolished the rainsoaked runthrough. By this time the mist had become deluge, but this seemed only to heighten the ant icipation of the Cats. , Gould came into the game with a record of 12-0, and were favored over the Wildcats who had. an 11-1 record. Even though both teams entered the game with high spirits, neither team seemed ab le to get its offense going. The wet ast roturf caused both teams problems . Harding Academy was able to gain 146 ya rds in total whi le Gould totaled 172 yards. Despite the weather conditions the Wildcats fumbled only twice to Gould's five turnovers. OOTBALLFOOTBALLFOOTBALLF 310 Senior Football A state championship consists not only of talent and hard vvork on the team's part, but also requires a dedicated coach . Coach Bill Barden vvas definitely that. This year's team vvas the seventh team Barden has taken to the state playoffs, and was his third to vvin. With the victory against Gould, Barden's record vvas jackd up to an amazing 103 wins, 19 losses, and one tie in his years as head coach at Harding Academy. Small wonder that at the annual coaches' conference in Dallas Barden vvas honored as SA Central Coach of the Year. But Bill Barden not only earned - Doug Kihmm the respect of fellovv coaches; his ability as a football coach and his example as a Christian also elicited the respect and admiration of his players. His son and quarterback, Gregg, summed it up by saying: "You believed in us , Coach. On many occasions you said, This team can be as good as any team in the state. ' We believed you. Your faith in us gave us faith in ourselves. It made us work harder in practice. It gave us confidence in close games. We are proud to have had the opportunity to play for you. Thanks , Coach B! " ~
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