CENTERTON, Ark. — Bentonville West senior Tianna Jones has already accomplished a lot in her four years.
"Having Tianna Jones in your life is a blessing," said head coach Kerry Castillo.
From being named the finals MVP in the state title match as a sophomore to getting a historic birthday gift as a junior.
"Coach Castillo texted me before the game, saying, 'Hey, kid, you need one more goal before you're like the all time leading goal scorer for Bentonville West,'" said Jones. "And I was like, 'Oh my gosh, okay, tonight's it.' So on my birthday go out and I scored two goals. I couldn't ask for a better night."
Getting to this point was not easy. Jones dealt with her fair share of injuries her freshman season and even this season with a partially torn patellar tendon in her knee.
"It was difficult and I was very frustrated," said Jones. "Thankfully, I've come back from that. I've overcame that. I feel like I'm on to an even higher level than I was before."
"She wants to do Tianna things that Tianna usually does," said Castillo. "She's had to be a little bit patient and she kind of embraced that and the growth that needed to happen through that."
However it's not just growth on the pitch, but also in the locker room in her third year as a captain.
"As a sophomore, people aren't going to like you because a lot of times they don't respect you because you're a sophomore," said Jones. "My role then was to maybe earn the respect on the field. Now my role as a senior, I still have that respect on the field. It's to show people how I act off the field, that's more important."
Jones plans to rally her team into the postseason in hopes of bringing home another state title and continue to leave a lasting legacy on the program.
"I want everyone to when they look back on me to be like, 'Tianna Jones, she gets her best every day. She was always someone I can count on. She's someone that like, even when everyone else stops drawing she doesn't.'"