AR PBS Sports will provide live, statewide coverage of the 2021 2A-7A high school football state finals live from War Memorial Stadium. See dates and times below.
Arkansas PBS will broadcast the 2021 2A-7A high school football state finals live from War Memorial Stadium, in partnership with the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA). See dates and times in the table below.
In the week after each broadcast, championship games will become available to watch at youtube.com/arkansaspbs and in the Engage Arkansas PBS app. AR PBS Sports will be broadcast statewide over the air, on cable and on satellite on Arkansas PBS’s primary channel. Correct channel information is available in local TV listings. All the ways to watch Arkansas PBS can be found at myarpbs.org/watch.
The Arkansas high school football state finals will air live on AR PBS Sports at the following times:
- 5A – Fri, Dec. 3, 7 p.m.
- 6A – Sat, Dec. 4, noon.
- 7A – Sat, Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m.
- 2A – Fri, Dec. 10, 7 p.m.
- 3A – Sat, Dec. 11, 12:00 p.m.
- 4A – Sat, Dec. 11, 6:30 p.m.
In the week following the finals, games will be available to watch at youtube.com/arkansaspbs, allowing coaches, players, families, college recruiters and others to watch at their convenience. Games will also be available through the Engage Arkansas PBS app and PBS Video app on mobile or streaming devices.
Throughout the state finals, AR PBS Sports will present profiles of outstanding student athletes from each division. Other special segments will include:
- Coach Kevin Kelley, formerly of Pulaski Academy – Kelley now serves as the head football coach at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina.
- “Starting from Scratch” – On Oct. 2nd, Coach Demarcus Borum’s KIPP Delta Blue Hornets of Helena-West Helena faced their first test as a new football team: a full scrimmage against state-champion contender, the DeSoto Thunderbirds. Most of the KIPP athletes had never played organized football before, and many have only been practicing since school started, three weeks before.
- “The Greatest Homecoming” – Homecoming is a time-honored tradition occurring during football season. In 1991, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a historically black college steeped in tradition, celebrated a most exciting homecoming when Heavyweight Champion of the World Muhammed Ali made a special appearance.
- “Speaking Volumes” – At Cross County High School in Cherry Valley, near Wynne, Lexi Jarrett has been building up sports broadcasting for years. Inspired by her time with EAST Initiative at her small school, she has pursued a course in media as she leads a team of students to livestream football games as well as produce podcasts.
- “Rock and Roll Junior High” – Hot Springs Junior Academy band instructor Lia LaFollette teaches her students music by day and moonlights at night in the rock band The Big Dam Horns.
- “Improbably So!” – “And the Bears win it. The Bears have won the title. Improbably so!” Those words, uttered by Bill Johnson of KCON radio, rang out over the airwaves all over Central Arkansas on one cold day in December 1991. That year, the UCA Bears football team took a 6-2-2 record into the NAIA Division I playoffs. Three decades later, and the 1991 UCA Bears remain the only collegiate football team in Arkansas to claim an undisputed National Championship.
- “McCrory Family Football” – Chris Kennon and Glen Campbell have been coaching McCrory High School football for a long time, but this is the last year they’ll be coaching their sons. Reid Kennon and Cason Campbell have played every down, side by side, as running back and quarterback since they were in the fourth grade.
- “Fordyce Football and Vaccines” – In Fordyce, where football is king, COVID-19 vaccinations and football collided in a surprising way for the team and the community. The Fordyce Redbugs have one of the longest championship traditions in the state of Arkansas, and their stance against COVID-19 has proven to be their latest victory.
A YouTube playlist featuring segments airing during the 2021 state football finals will be available at bit.ly/2021ARPBSfootball.
Additionally, photos from the games will be available at myarpbs.org/photos.
The Arkansas high school football state finals are also broadcast live on 103.7 The Buzz in Central Arkansas and at 1037thebuzz.com/football.
Some weekend programming will be preempted during the broadcast of state championship games. An up-to-date schedule with options for email reminders and calendar syncing is available at myarkansaspbs.org/schedule.