Tigers embark on 4A-1 Conference debut

After years of being a Class 3A school, Green Forest plays its first 4A-1 Conference game Friday when the Tigers travel to Prairie Grove.

“It’s time for us to make a step up, and we’re looking forward to it,” Green Forest coach Bobby Bishop said. “It’s not something we asked for. But with the growth in our community, we have to start competing as a Class 4A school.

“The first couple of weeks could be rough with Prairie Grove and Shiloh Christian. But we know what it’s like because we’ve scrimmaged Prairie Grove and Gentry in the past and we’ve had Berryville and Huntsville on our schedule. I feel like we can compete with the bottom half of the conference, but we need to get where we can compete with the top half.”

The Tigers (1-2) enter conference play following their first win of the season, a 31-30 decision against West Fork. Green Forest’s defense denied West Fork on two-point conversion plays five times, then recovered a fumble with under 2 minutes remaining to seal with win.

“It was our best game of the season up to this point,” Bishop said. “We didn’t shut them down, but they didn’t shut us down, either. It was a competitive game between two teams that want to get better.

“The win will give us some confidence heading into conference play against a tough Prairie Grove team. I’ve told our players just to play as hard as they can for as long as they can. It’s very important that we go out there and play well.”