Arkansas High vs. Texas High (UPDATE: THS wins 49-24)

The ribbon will be cut on the new renovated Tiger Stadium at Grim Park tonight on the Texas-side before kick-off. Tickets are long gone, and they're expecting a crowd of over 10,000. Texas owns the series record at 56-28-7. We're the two-time defending state champs, but we're still heavy underdogs tonight.

We haven't beaten Texas High since 2000, which is the longest streak they've had since Pleasant Grove High School was opened on the Texas-side in 1985, thereby taking many of their would-be players. We actually had a five-game winning streak against them when I was in school, and my senior class never lost to them. I played center my senior year and had to block a guy who weighed 320 pounds. The best I could manage was to keep from bouncing off of him after the initial contact. All he had to do was just be able to stand his ground and he could end up clogging the hole on either side of me, and we had to abandon the run up the middle after the first series -- I couldn't move the guy. Luckily for us, we had future NFL Quarterback Mike Cherry who helped us overcome a 7-0 4th Quarter deficit to win.

Going back a generation, my mom's class never beat Texas High. As a matter of fact, Texas High had a 17-game winning streak against us snapped in 1964 two years after she graduated. They've built their program back up to the point that kids on the Arkansas-side will pay tuition to go to school there and play for them, even though we're winning championships over here. Count current Arkansas Razorback Ryan Mallett among them.

Here's some info on tonight's game in today's Texarkana Gazette:
Coaches rib, give praise during pre-game event
Texas High dedicates new stadium tonight
AHS Vs. THS GAME FACTS
The Series at a Glance
New field, old rivalry
TIGERS LINEUPS
HOGS LINEUPS

A few more pictures: