Do you work with someone from a neighboring town who brags on their kids and shows pictures of them to the point of being obnoxious?
Snapshots of the cheerleader, the sports star or the toddler dressed in the school colors of the family's favorite high school team? Kind of cute, isn't it?
Not really.
Some rivals don't wait until the end of the season to settle scores. Alma already owns year-long bragging rights in football over Van Buren with its 34-21 victory on Tuesday. The stakes will be high again tonight in showdowns between Prairie Grove and Farmington, Elkins and West Fork, Benton and Bryant, and Chester and Rudy.
OK. Scratch Chester and Rudy. But the others are eager to tangle.
One game does not dictate an entire season, of course, and the Farmington-at-Prairie Grove matchup is a good indication of that. Farmington beat its former conference rival 28-12 last season on the way to a 5-5 record in Class 5A. The Tigers recovered with 13 consecutive victories before losing to Nashville in the state championship in Class 4A.
Top playmakers from last year's teams have moved on, including Dylan Soehner, who is at Iowa State, and Justice Hobbs, who hopes to make an impact as a walk-on at Arkansas. But new stars will emerge, including Isaac Disney, a receiver who returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Shiloh Christian and a punt return for a touchdown against West Fork last season.
"That rivalry (with Farmington) is still alive and well," Disney said. "It's a big game. No doubt."
Prairie Grove got rolled last year after falling behind early at Farmington. That won't happen tonight before a big crowd at Tiger Stadium.
RICK'S PICK PRAIRIE GROVE
Other games involving teams from Northwest Arkansas (selections are capitalized).
CLASS 7A
KANSAS CITY ROCKHURST at Bentonville
Springdale High at CONWAY
Blue Springs, Mo., at FAYETTEVILLE
LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL at Rogers Heritage
BENTONVILLE WEST at Pryor, Okla.
SILOAM SPRINGS at Rogers High
Fort Smith Southside at SPRINGDALE HAR-BER
CLASS 5A
Farmington at PRAIRIE GROVE
CLASS 4A
SHILOH CHRISTIAN at Elkins
Green Forest at HUNTSVILLE
Gentry at LAVACA
Westville, Okla., at LINCOLN
GRAVETTE at Ozark
BOONEVILLE at Pea Ridge
Greenland at WEST FORK
Decatur at BERRYVILLE
CLASS 3A
Cedarville at MOUNTAINBURG
LAST YEAR 148-38 (79 percent)
Sports on 09/02/2016