Rogers is 4-0, which is more wins than the Mounties compiled during their entire seasons in 2019, 2018, and 2015.
The pendulum began to swing in 2020 when Rogers won six games and it accelerated last season when the Mounties won nine games and hosted a playoff game for the first time in 15 years. Rogers has a chance to take another giant step tonight in a 7A-West Conference showdown with Fayetteville at Whitey Smith Stadium.
No one has to remind Rogers fans the Mounties were also 4-0 last year before losing 48-13 at Fayetteville. Fayetteville went on to win the conference championship while Rogers finished third.
An advantage for Rogers this year is the site of the game, where the crowds have been loud and proud at Whitey Smith Stadium. Rogers fans believe in this team even if the voters who left the undefeated Mounties out of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Arkansas Sports Media Top 10 overall polls do not.
That'll change if Rogers can take down Fayetteville (3-1, 1-0), whose only loss came in the season-opener when Cabot scored with 8 seconds left to win 31-28. Fayetteville was on fire last week, jumping to a 28-0 lead and holding on for a 42-28 over Bentonville West in a 7A-West Conference opener.
There should be plenty of points scored tonight with two of the league's top gunslingers at quarterback directing high-scoring offenses. Junior Drake Lindsey completed 20-of-26 passes last week for 354 yards and four touchdowns against the Wolverines. Junior Dane Williams, a converted defensive back, continues to shine at quarterback for Rogers by completing 15-of-17 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-7 blowout last week against Fort Smith Southside.
Rogers is for real but so is Fayetteville, where new stars have emerged for a team that gave Bryant all it wanted in the Class 7A state championship game last year in Little Rock.
What's the old saying in sports? To be the best ...
RICK'S PICK Fayetteville
(Here are some other games involving teams from our coverage area. The picks are capitalized).
CLASS 7A
BENTONVILLE at Fort Smith Southside
Rogers Heritage at SPRINGDALE HAR-BER
Springdale at BENTONVILLE WEST
FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE at Little Rock Central
CLASS 6A
GREENWOOD at Greenbrier
LAKE HAMILTON at Van Buren
RUSSELLVILLE at Siloam Springs
CLASS 5A
ALMA at Farmington
HARRISON at Prairie Grove
PEA RIDGE at Dardanelle
SHILOH CHRISTIAN at Clarksville
CLASS 4A
ELKINS at Huntsville
GENTRY at Berryville
Lincoln at GRAVETTE
OZARK at Green Forest
MALVERN at Waldron
CLASS 3A
Cedarville at CHARLESTON
Greenland at MANSFIELD
HACKETT at Lavaca
West Fork at BOONEVILLE
CLASS 2A
Decatur at MOUNTAINBURG
HECTOR at Conway Christian
Johnson County Westside at MAGAZINE
LAST WEEK 21-2 (86%)
OVERALL 79-24 (81%)