SPRINGDALE -- Different types of mascots wandered about Thursday than what usually appears at Arvest Ballpark, home to Springdale's Double A professional baseball team.
There was nothing as unusual as the Sod Poodles when Amarillo comes to town, but a parade of Bulldogs, Wildcats, Pirates, Saints, Elk, and others, arrived to participate in the NWA Democrat-Gazette football media day. A similar event that includes interviews, videos, and photographs with players and coaches was held on Tuesday in Fort Smith for high school football teams in the River Valley.
The atmosphere Thursday was cordial and relaxed, which will change dramatically when teams start butting heads for the 2022 season that begins later this month.
There's been a move in professional sports where teams shorten names on their uniforms like Golden State, for instance, which sometimes takes the basketball court with 'The City' instead of Warriors across their chests. That trend has filtered down to the high school level where Pea Ridge wore jerseys that read "The Ridge" across the front instead of Pea Ridge. The change is a hit among the players, especially with the name of the school's mascot on the jersey back and with a black feather pattern on the upper arms.
"It's The Ridge and I think it's pretty cool we call ourselves that, especially coming from a small town like ours," said Evan Anderson, a senior wide receiver for the Blackhawks. "Just short and simple -- The Ridge."
Many of the region's top stars were on hand Thursday, including running back Josh Ficklin, lineman Joey Su'a, both of Bentonville, and quarterback Eli Wisdom of Shiloh Christian.
Wisdom is a versatile athlete who could see time at other positions if sophomore Garrett Odom steps in occasionally at quarterback. The senior Wisdom has led the Saints to back-to-back Class 4A state championship game appearances.
"(Wisdom) is definitely a guy who needs the football in his hand," Shiloh Christian coach Jeff Conaway said. "We love him at quarterback but we would like to see him play running back, receiver, play defensive back, and as a kick returner and punt returner. Anything we can do to score points, we're willing to do."
A few teams in Northwest Arkansas will play in different conferences because of reclassification, including Shiloh Christian, which bumps up from Class 4A to compete in the 5A-West Conference with traditional powers like Alma and Harrison. Shiloh Christian has met previous challenges throughout its football history and Conaway is confident his team will be prepared to face the stiff competition.
Shiloh Christian makes its 5A-West Conference debut Sept. 23 at Dardanelle, another newcomer to the league.
"We have to continue to do the little things extremely well," Conaway said. "We know the challenge is going to be severe and we have to take care of business and work on being the best we can be."
Another Northwest Arkansas team making a substantial move is Decatur, which has reversed course after four years of 8-man football to return to 11-man football.
Second-year Decatur Coach Jake Denzer said the move not only marks a return to the traditional 11-man football, it will also cut down on travel from 8-man football when the Bulldogs had to travel places like Cedar Ridge in northeast Arkansas and Spring Hill in south Arkansas near the Louisiana border.
Decatur will play 11-man football in the 2A-1 Conference that includes area teams in Mountainburg, Johnson County Westside, and Magazine.
"By doing this, we'll cut our travel in half," Denzer said. "With 8-man, the schedule was all the way across the state sometimes and that means as much as 5-hour road games. There were no seventh-grade games and those kids had to play up with ninth-graders sometimes, and some of them would drop out. Playing 11-man football is a way to get more kids involved and, hopefully, build for the future."
Denzer said he expects about 18-20 players for the senior high squad and 20-22 for junior high when the Bulldogs open the season Aug. 26 against Episcopal.