Normally, I’m not interested in a weekly magazine that includes tips on dining and fashion and recently featured a story about Bret Bielema’s courtship of his wife.
But the cover of the Little Rock-based Sync Weekly caught my attention with words that read “Central vs. NWA: The uneven playing field separating high school football teams in northwest and central Arkansas.”
Uneven playing field?
Basically, it was a story about why high school football teams from Northwest Arkansas dominate the state’s largest classification. Since 2004, no team from central Arkansas has won a state championship in Class 7A and in every year since 2006 the two finalists have been teams from Northwest Arkansas. The article was written after Fayetteville rallied to defeat North Little Rock in the semifinals last November and stated Northwest Arkansas teams have advantages in the number of quality coaches, facilities and community support.
Yeah, so?
I’ve long grown tired of the Northwest Arkansas vs. central Arkansas squabbles, which are about as appealing as teenage girls fighting over the last Justin Bieber poster. But it is not the fault of coaches and administrators in Northwest Arkansas the public school system in Little Rock has been a mess for decades. Instead of complaining about what Northwest Arkansas has, perhaps the folks in central Arkansas should focus more on themselves.
I talked with an area football coach recently who couldn’t wait to get started again after his team won only seven games last year instead of its customary nine or 10. Perhaps the folks in central Arkansas need more of that attitude.
Sync Weekly’s cover story reminds me of the whining I heard years ago from Benton that led to the state’s largest classification being split in half. Benton convinced enough voters in the Arkansas Activities Association they couldn’t possibly compete with the schools in Northwest Arkansas, and many of them dropped down to 6A.
Benton still can’t compete in football, and we’re stuck with the awful rule that allows every team in Class 6A to advance to the playoffs regardless of record. It’s made the playoff system in Arkansas a source of widespread ridicule.
I could easily write something about how central Arkansas teams have the advantage in high school basketball, but I don’t hear basketball coaches in Northwest Arkansas crying about their disadvantages, especially in speed and quickness of their players.
I’m not sure what started the central Arkansas vs. Northwest Arkansas divide, but I do know this: When you make excuses for your mediocrity, you’re always going to be mediocre.
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RICK FIRES IS A SPORTSWRITER FOR NWA MEDIA.