For fourth straight season, FC will open against Bulldogs

For the fourth consecutive season, the Forrest City Mustangs will open against the Star City Bulldogs in a nonconference prep football game scheduled for Aug. 27 at Star City.

The Mustangs are 1-2 against the Bulldogs, after losing the 2018 opener 27-26 and last season's opener 42-6. The Mustangs defeated the Bulldogs 42-34 to start the 2019 season.

Headed into the upcoming season, the Class 4A Bulldogs have been picked to finish fifth in the 4A-8 conference behind Warren, Crossett, Hamburg and Dumas and are ranked 18th among the top 20 Class 4A schools headed into the upcoming season.

Last year, the Bulldogs either led or trailed by seven points in the second half of four losses, leaving the Bulldogs with a season ending 4-4 mark.

The Mustangs have been tabbed to finish seventh this season in the 5A-East conference after last season's Covid riddled 16 campaign. They are not among the preseason top 20 Class 5A teams.

Wynne, once again, is the preseason favorite to win the 5AEast Conference. The Yellowjackets have won conference titles five of the past six seasons.

Neither school has any top 50 recruits listed.

Forrest City and PalestineWheatley will play back-to-back preseason scrimmage games on Thursday Aug. 19, when the Junior Mustangs play the P-W Junior Patriots at Patriot Field and on Friday, Aug. 20, when the varsity Patriots come to Sam Smith Stadium.

Palestine-Wheatley has been hitting the practice field this week for 6 a.m. summer drills, leading up to next week's first full week of classes.

"We wanted to get up and get ahead of the birds," P-W assistant coach Steve Sherland said in a recent text.

Both schools begin their prep seasons on Aug. 27 and both play their home openers on the road.