Dairyland Donkey Ball brought two competitive Arkansas FFA chapters together for an intense donkey basketball game. The hometown rivals put the football field aside and saddled up on donkeys.
With the home court advantage, the Harrison FFA Chapter took on the Mountain Home FFA Chapter for the first Battle of the Donkeys. The battle consisted of two intense games leading up to the final championship. The games began at 7 p.m., when various members from each chapter went head-to-head and battled for the first win of the night. Mountain Home FFA advisor Josh Baker scored the first points, leading Mountain Home to an 11-0 victory in the first game.
In between games, Harrison FFA members partnered with Arkansas Tech University to launch chapter T-shirts into the roaring crowd using their T-shirt launcher. Meanwhile, the pooper scoopers were busy taking care of business on the floor.
Game two began with Harrison FFA scoring six points and taking the lead in the first quarter. During halftime, children from the crowd were allowed to take the donkeys on a ride around the court. The second quarter began and ended very quickly, as the Harrison FFA Chapter’s donkey skills dominated the court and nearly tripled their opponent’s score.
Just before the last and most important game of the night, advisors Alex Hale from Harrison FFA and Baker from Mountain Home FFA went head-to-head in a shootout to win a bag of feed. The shootout ended with Hale bringing home the win.
The third and final game began with Mountain Home FFA making the first shot, but Harrison FFA led 4-2 by the end of the first quarter. During halftime, FFA members put the rivalry to the side and line-danced to Cotton Eye Joe. The second half of the championship game was so intense that the Harrison FFA coach broke numerous clipboards in hopes of igniting his team. The final game resulted in Mountain Home FFA securing the victory over Harrison FFA, with the final score being 7-4.
On Nov. 7, 2024, the Mountain Home FFA Chapter won the first Battle of the Donkeys Trophy. More than 600 community members came out and supported this combined FFA event, raising more than $5,500 for Harrison FFA. The chapters’ advisors decided to alternate the location of the games each year, resulting in the home team keeping the earnings from the night. So, next year’s games will be held in Mountain Home, Ark.
