Mountain Home High School seniors Mary Charles McConnell and Gus Wilber were crowned the 2026 homecoming queen and king Friday evening at Bomber Stadium, concluding the school’s “Bombers Take Flight” homecoming week.
McConnell was selected from seven senior maids, which included Miley Epps, Lucy Koehn, Laney Lueck, Ellie Miller, Caylee Simmons, and Maddie Simmons. Wilber was chosen from a group of senior knights featuring Aiden Burns, Hunter Coy, Russell Hargett, Anthony Jones, Levi Payne, and Ian Pierce. Both McConnell and Wilber served on the homecoming court as juniors last year.
They succeed the 2025 queen and king, Olivia McCoy and Jeb Cullipher.
The 28-member court was introduced during a Friday afternoon pep rally before the crowning ceremony, which took place ahead of the Bombers’ football game against Russellville later in the evening.
Junior maids this year were Brylee Blasdel, Ava Caples, and Jade Taylor, joined by junior knights Saxton Bodenhamer, Ryan Cooper, and Luke Hilvert. Sophomore representatives included Jocelyn Green, Lily Pemberton, Jax Luna, and Oakley Recktenwald, while freshmen Taylor Cotter, Sophia Stewart, Bennett Newton, and Uriah Sabo rounded out the court.
The celebration-filled homecoming week kicked off on Monday with daily dress-up themes. Events included a Wednesday parade through downtown Mountain Home, followed by the traditional powderpuff football game and a lively community pep rally at Bomber Stadium. The week concluded Saturday night with a semi-formal dance held at the high school for sophomores, juniors, and seniors.