For players involved with the Conway junior high football program, the season can not come fast enough.
Both Conway White and Conway Blue have been hard at it every since practice began on Aug. 6, and players are ready to hit someone other than their teammates. In fact, the two teams collide for their annual intra-school rivalry game as the season opener Sept. 4 at John McConnell Stadium.
"We've been practicing a long time, and it's getting a little old," Conway White coach Trent Mallett said. "The weather has been real crazy because it's been hot, and then it cooled off, and then got hot again. That's really bad for football conditions. We really don't know how the kids are going to respond to it because it's been so up and down. We're just gonna have to wait and see."
Before the season starts every year, both coaches always downplay the newly formed rivalry game because it's the first game of the season. That game between the two teams doesn't make or break the season for either team, which the coaches are very aware.
"Blue and White has always been a big game because it's Blue and White," Conway Blue coach Jeff Prince said. "The kids go to school together. We like to go ahead and get it out of the way. We moved it to the first game about two or three years ago, and that have helped some. It's always going to be a competitive game, but it's a nonconference game. We like to get it past us, so we can get to the meat of the schedule."
Since both teams are playing their first game almost a month after their first practice, emotions will be sky-high when next Thursday night's game arrives. Both coaches do not want their respective teams to fall into that emotional trap on the first week of the season and have a letdown the following week against a pair of Cabot squads.
"That's the problem with junior high kids because they can get really high in for the rivalry," Mallett said. "You can't promote this as 'The Game' because it's just the first one. It's just one out of 10. I approach it just like another game, but it's not. Because the makeup of the school just want let it be."
The Blue/White game is usually determined by a couple of plays, and it usually isn't determined until the closing minutes. In last season's contest, Conway Blue quarterback Micah Delph led his team to a shocking 31-12 victory over their rivals, which was the biggest margin by any team in their recent years of playing each other.
"We were playing pretty good that night," Prince said. "For whatever reason, Conway White may just have had an off-night. They had a bunch of guys with some good talent. As a matter of fact, they have more kids that'll probably play on the senior high team this year, more than the Blue team."
Both coaches are very aware of the trash-talking that goes on between the two teams and both discourages that from their players. However, members of both teams want to be able to have the last bragging rights before combining next year on the senior high team. The rivalry began in the seventh grade when the two teams played against each other as Bob Courtway and Carl Stuart.
Prince said they are relying on three guys on the offensive and defensive front, Mario Fennell, Marquis Rogers and Eric Robinson Jr.. The coach also praised Everett Reed, Hayden Strickland and Alex Smith for their offensive play in the preseason. Mallett singled out the offensive play of Edward Hayes, Colin Fleusmier, Hart Denton, Dylan Travis, Tyler Langley and Reid Blaylock.
