FORT SMITH rivalry game set for tonight.

FORT SMITH — There are no conference championships on the line or playoff spots up for grabs tonight when the Battle of Rogers Avenue is played for the 60th time since 1965.

None of that matters anyway when Fort Smith’s two high schools go head-to-head. Records are thrown out the window, and the only thing that ever matters is annual bragging rights when Southside and Northside get it on.

The game tonight at Mayo-Thompson Stadium will include a number of firsts. It’s the first time the crosstown rivals have met in a season opener. It’s the first time they have met in backto-back games, having played each other in the season finale in November. It’s also the first time since 1981 they have met in the regular season when it’s not a conference game.

There will be no general admission tickets available for the game, but Southside is planning to show the live stream of the game on the video board at Jim Rowland Stadium.

Northside Coach Mike Falleur is well versed in the significance of this meeting. He was a player 40-plus years ago in the game and has coached the Grizzlies in six of these meetings.

“I think it’s different, but in the big scheme of things, it’s Southside,” Falleur said. “To me, it doesn’t matter that it’s not a conference game or the 10th game, it’s Southside. So that same feeling I got 45 years ago playing in it, and now coaching in it, it doesn’t matter if it’s nonconference or conference, or Week One or Week 10, it’s Southside.”

In the spring, the Arkansas Activities Association decided to balance out the 16-school Class 7A. In order to keep both the West and Central conferences at eight schools apiece, the AAA had to split the Fort Smith schools into separate conferences for the first time since 1981. Northside was left in the 7A-Central, while Southside was moved to the 7A-West. For at least the next two seasons, they will remain in separate conferences.

While this battle is commonly played to a packed stadium, that won’t be the case tonight as there will be limited seating capacity under social-distancing guidelines.

“I think it will be neat to kick off the high school season, especially in this area,” Falleur said. “It’s already a big game and to be the first game played in the state, I think it will be even better.”

Northside has won the past four meetings. Prior to that streak, Southside had won 11 consecutive games. Last season, the Grizzlies walked out of Jim Rowland Stadium with a 35-12 victory, even though neither team made the playoffs.

The Battle of Rogers Avenue will be a new experience for first-year Southside Coach Kim Dameron, although the former head coach at Eastern Illinois is no stranger to the game, having played at both Bentonville and Rogers back in the late 1970s.

“I can’t wait for it to get here. We’re excited about the opportunity,” Dameron said at a recent media gathering at Hunts Park in Fort Smith. “I don’t worry too much about what goes on other than with my team. I never have anywhere I’ve ever been. We’re going to try and be the best Southside team we can be on that night, and we’re going to let it fly and see what happens.”

Northside quarterback Dreyden Norwood has never lost to Southside. The Texas A&M commit tried to downplay the impact the game has, but he struggled to maintain his low-key demeanor when asked about looking across the line of scrimmage at the Mavericks.

“It’s going to be great,” he said. “We’re really excited about playing.”

On the other side, Mavericks star defensive end Shawn Rogers, who is looking at a number of schools including Ouachita Baptist University, was a little more animated when asked about the game.

“They better be ready,” said Rogers, then repeated the phrase multiple times. “It will be packed, it will be fun and we’re going out there to show them. It’s now or never.”

For Falleur, the game’s magnitude can’t be minimized just because the stakes are not as high as when they met annually on the final night of the regular season.

“It’s a big ball game,” Falleur said. “Our kids will be excited, their kids will be excited. It’s a heck of a way to start the season.”