‘Battle of the Bridge’
Metal trophy will be prize of AHS-Hope High rivalry
On Friday, the inaugural “Battle of the Bridge” rivalry between Arkansas High School and Hope High School will be held at 7 p.m. at Hammons Stadium in Hope, Ark.
The event is sponsored by the University of Arkansas at HopeTexarkana.
Both schools have storied football programs, and they have scrimmaged against each other for more than 20 years. But for the first time in history, they will find themselves doing battle on the gridiron as members of the Conference 5A-South.
“Everyone at the college is excited to watch the new rivalry between the Razorbacks and the Bobcats,” Chris Thomason, UA Hope-Texarkana chancellor, stated in a press release. “As two of our greatest partners, we celebrate all the great traditions of these two tremendous school districts. UAHT will be in the stands with both of these communities cheering on our student athletes.”
Barry Norton, head football coach at Arkansas High, said they were excited about competing against the Bobcats.
“This game should be a great rivalry and will impact conference standings each year,” he said. “We look forward to what should be a long, fun series.”
Phillip Turner, head football coach at Hope High, said both schools have storied football programs with many talented players who have graced the school colors.
“As a graduate of Hope High School, Arkansas High has never been a rival to us. They’ve always been a team we admired from a distance due to the success they always had on the field,” he said. “As a young head coach trying to lay my foundation here in Hope, I look at this game as an important conference game versus a very good opponent. This game should be great for both schools and our communities, and we look forward to what should be a very exciting series. Hopefully, a new rivalry will be born.”
To make the rivalry one-of-a-kind, the college commissioned local metal artist Bobby Brinkmeyer to create a replica of the old Red River Bridge to be awarded as a traveling trophy that will go home with the winner of the “Battle of the Bridge” each year. The only issue left to be determined is which side of the bridge the trophy will land on for the first time.