BENTONVILLE – Fans who’ve poured into Tiger Stadium to watch Bentonville the past few years have had plenty to cheer about. In addition to the show on the field, there’s a show on the scoreboard minitron.

The giant screen shows everything from player profiles and advertisements to previous game-highlight collages and instant replay – oftentimes sped up or down for that added dramatic effect.

After most big hits, tackles, interceptions and touchdowns, thousands of eyes turn to the minitron.

What may surprise even the most dedicated Tiger football fans, however, is the fact every second of material displayed on that giant screen is calculated. There’s a whole behind-the-scenes crew, working nonstop during every home game, to enhance the fan experience.

Grant Purcell, a recent Bentonville High School graduate who was on the first minitron crew at Tiger Stadium five years ago, still can’t get enough. Now a University of Arkansas student, Purcell still volunteers to oversee the minitron production. His station is behind the controls in the upper level of the press box.

“I can remember when we first got all this equipment and no one knew what the heck we were doing,” Purcell said. “It really was something we had to figure out on the run, little by little, as we went.

“Now we’ve got it under control and everyone looks forward to coming up and doing the job. We don’t get paid, but all of us love what we do because everyone out there is watching.”

Just short of two hours before the start of the Bentonville-Rogers game two weeks ago, Purcell was the first of the 13-member minitron crew into the booth. He dropped his bag, flipped a couple of switches and scanned a table lined with monitors, buttons and cords.

Next through the door was Bobby Stadel, the BHS teacher who oversees the minitron crew. He went to work as lines of Bentonville and Rogers fans started to accumulate outside the gates. Chris Applebee, a BHS student and one of three camera operators, wasted no time scooping up an armful of cable and a small video camera before heading down to the field.

Stadel and Purcell punch a series of buttons on the main control boards, running through a series of songs and clips intended for the evening game. From “Jump Around” and “ Unbelievable” to “Welcome to the Jungle” and an assortment of AC/DC tunes, the music echoed through the empty stadium.

Everything sounded good, but there was one problem - a major problem. The minitron screen was not lighting up.

“Ahh, Grant ... the board’s not coming on,” Stadel announced.

With that, the pace picked up. The scoreboard clock was at 45 minutes and counting to kickoff and the crew had a problem to solve. But there was no panic. Just quick movement. After a series of troubleshooting steps and a few strokes of luck, the board lit up.

“We’re in business,” Purcell said. “It’s showtime.”

The stands were now full and the Bentonville student cheering section raised the decibel level in the stands. Inside the control room everyone was quiet and poised.

Zach Michalik, Cora Taylor, Chris Allison, Dylan Cottrell, Michal MacFarlane, David Phan, Lori Emerson, Stephen Aguila, Steven Morris, Ben Wagner and the rest of the crew were in position. Six monitors, a control box, a video freeze-and-editing board, a trio of cameras – all ready to deliver yet another coordinated production.

“I’m marking and cueing up great plays,” said Michalik. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing and it’s kind of crazy that no one really knows any of this goes on up here. I think they just kind of think it happens by itself.

“Sitting up here, I see every play from a couple of different angles at the same time,” he said. “I feel like I can probably see more of what’s going on than anyone else in the stadium. You get to know everything a team does pretty well from this seat.

It’s a rush when it goes back up on the minitron for everyone to see and they start cheering again.”

It’s more than a rush for many of the students involved in carrying out this behind-the-scenes production.

“If I end up getting a scholarship from this, that would be awesome,” Chris Allison said. “It can happen. Some colleges are looking for people with this kind of experience and they give scholarships. I’m up here three hours per week, having a great time doing what I’m doing.”

Spend those three hours with the crew and it quickly becomes obvious that while each student has a role, it’s a team production. The rhythm and coordination with which they pull everything together is nothing short of impressive.

“Look at these kids and the fun they’re having,” Stadel said. “This isn’t for credit or anything - it’s not that kind of program here yet. But these kids all have a job and they depend on each other to get it done. On Friday nights, they have an important role in what goes on at Tiger Stadium.”

An advertisement, followed by a live feed, followed by an instant replay of a big run. Player bios flashing across the minitron, two on-field camera operators – and another on the balcony – keeping a steady hand, listening in their headsets for instructions from Purcell from his perch behind the main board. It’s nonstop, for four quarters. When the final buzzer sounds, the crew hops up from their seats and starts dishing out high-fives, celebrating just as much – if not more – than the winning team on the field.

“Did you see that shot I got of that run?” Cora Taylor asked Michalik as she sprinted up the stairs with her camera in hand.

“That was so awesome!” Michalik answered, serving up yet another high five. “I don’t know if you saw, but we slowed it down just a bit on the replay and it was incredible.

Did you hear the people react when they saw it?”

It’s not about the pay.

It’s about delivering, every home game. Even if no one else knows they’re there.

“I can’t wait until I get my chance to run the (main board),” Michalik said. “Next year, I think. You get addicted to this.”