Remember the smart aleck answer “you can’t get there from here” when asking for directions?
That’s what Green Forest could hear tonight as it makes the long road trip to Melbourne, a newcomer to the 3A-1 Conference. According to Google Maps, Green Forest is 113 miles or 2 hours and 21 minutes from Melbourne. But that doesn’t fully take into account the rough terrain and the critters that emerge from the Ozark Mountains at night like deer, opossum, skunks and the three-toed sloth.
Well, maybe not the three-toed sloth, since it’s native to South and Central America. The point is a trip to Texarkana, Texas in the middle of the summer with no air conditioning and no radio would be more pleasurable than driving back from Melbourne late at night.
Still, the Arkansas Activities Association put Melbourne in the 3A-1 Conference and the Tigers will make the trip looking for their first win. Melbourne is mostly a basketball school playing varsity football for the first time under Clinton Gore, who coached some powerful teams at Osceola in the 1990s. The Bearkats (2-2, 0-1) have already won two games, but lost 54-38 to Greenland in conference play last week.
Green Forest (0-3, 0-0) should at least be rested following an off week because Marshall, the Tigers’ scheduled opponent, dropped football. Green Forest is capable of winning Friday but Melbourne has a home field advantage that only few teams can match.
Especially if you can’t get there from here.
RICK’S PICK: Melbourne
Other games involving teams from Northwest Arkansas (selections are capitalized).
CLASS 7A/6A
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER at Rogers Heritage
FAYETTEVILLE at Springdale
ROGERS at Van Buren
Siloam Springs at BENTONVILLE
CLASS 5A
CLARKSVILLE at Huntsville
Morrilton at ALMA
VILONIA at Shiloh Christian
CLASS 4A
Farmington at PRAIRIE GROVE
Gentry at GRAVETTE
OZARK at Berryville
Pea Ridge at LINCOLN
CLASS 3A
ELKINS at Mountain View
Green Forest at MELBOURNE
Greenland at YELLVILLE-SUMMIT
CLASS 2A
HACKETT at Western Yell County
Hartford at MOUNTAINBURG
LAST WEEK 17-2 (89 percent)
OVERALL 50-16 (76 percent)