Opinion by Jay Neal

sports@jacksonvilleprogress.com



Last week was the first time I had ever seen a Jacksonville High School football team (albeit an abbreviated 7-on-7 version) and a Rusk High School football team on the field at the same time.

And even though the two didn’t actually collide on the well-manicured gridiron of Eagle Stadium — they will square off at 5 p.m. today at Mauldin Field — my mind was nevertheless filled of thoughts of why do these two programs not play each other in the regular season.

Obviously, I am no expert as to what has transpired in regard to this issue, but I can list five solid points as to why Jacksonville and Rusk should be battling each other in an annual nondistrict football game.

1. Rivalry factor — Two schools, roughly 15 miles apart, the only two football-playing schools in Cherokee County. Regardless of whether your colors of choice are Blue and Gold or Red and Black, pride is a common thread for both. The kids know each other well; many fans work; socialize or attend church services with one another. The respective chamber of commerce groups or other organizations maybe could come up with a giant trophy or distinctive award that the winning school gets to display for the next year. Possibly a friendly wager between the two mayors — there are a lot of possibilities in promoting the on-field as well as off-field rivalry factor here.

2. Competitiveness of the programs — Probably many who have read this column are now muttering, “Rusk has about 600 students and Jacksonville has around 1,100 students and one is a Class 4A school and the other a Class 3A team, so this is a lame idea.” Throw the numbers out the window for a moment. Look at the situation from a competitiveness factor and ask yourself if the two teams could get a solid nondistrict test out of the game and if your answer is “yes,” then I rest my case. Rusk is knocking heads in league play with the likes of Carthage (last season’s Class 3A state champion), Jasper and Diboll who, year-in-your-out, look more like 4A squads than 3A squads. An up-and-coming 4A squad like the Tribe would serve to prepare the Eagles for the rigors of district play much better than an average 3A team would. From the Jacksonville perspective, if you are scheduling Carthage, a district rival of Rusk, then why not book a date with the Eagles? Bottom line, if you look at the two teams closely, you will find they are more competitive than what you at first glance may have believed they were. Get over the numbers and look at the talent and the coaching staffs of each team and you will see similarity.

3. Scheduling ease and fan convenience — It is often difficult for athletic directors to book nonconference games due to a multitude of variables, most of which are not pleasant. A Jacksonville vs. Rusk annual affair eases that burden by one game. For the fans, an Indians and Eagles game would provide the opportunity for an easy, affordable road trip and a chance to see one’s team of choice in action an extra time in some cases. Indians fans would be much more likely to drive to Rusk to see the Tribe in action than drive to an away game at Marshall or Hallsville (nearly a two-hour drive, one way) while Eagles fans would surely be more likely to trek to the Tomato Bowl as opposed to journeying to Gladewater or Fairfield.

4. Economic reasons — It’s not cheap to travel, as we all know. Staying in-county for a nondistrict game saves the respective school districts on travel costs, plain and simple. Also, the local economic impact would mean area restaurants, fuel stations and the like would see a bump in revenue on game night. That’s a good thing.

5. New regime; new mindsets — I’m sure at various points in the past a Jacksonville vs. Rusk football game could have resulted in an unsavory, lopsided loss for one team as both the Indians and Eagles have enjoyed their fair share of excellence on the football field. This is 2009. Both schools are under the direction of coaches in their second year with the teams — Steve Wells at Jacksonville and Ted Patton at Rusk — who are in the midst of returning each program to gridiron glory once again. What better time than now, actually for the 2010 and beyond seasons as the 2009 schedule is already set, than to make this concept a reality. It can work — work to make each program better in its own right.

But for now the only way to see the Tribe and the Eagles on a football field is via a 7-on-7 game.

The two units will face each other three times this summer. Following today’s clash, Rusk and Jacksonville will tangle at 6 p.m. June 1 at Palestine Westwood with the final test coming at 5 p.m. June 15 at Rusk.

I have a feeling these three 7 on 7 scrimmages may be some of the more exciting local sporting events of the summer.