Shades Of 5A

CHANGE IS COMING FOR CARDINALS, TIGERS, WOLVES

For about seven days this month the Cardinal red, which adorns the walls of Farmington’s basketball gym, was turned into a different color. While the blue of Harrison, a 5A school in northern Arkansas, was only temporary as the Farmington High gym, foyer and a hallway in the senior hall were used to film scenes in “Greater,” a movie about the life of former Razorback Brandon Burlsworth, the long anticipated-move up in classification brings a reality check.

On April 30, the Arkansas Activities Association, which governs interscholastic athletic competitions in the state, released classification numbers for 2014-2016. Those numbers show Farmington as the 60th largest high school in the state with an enrollment of 501 with the telltale designation of 5A included in the listing. Harrison is listed at number 53 with an enrollment of 633.

Valley View High School, at Jonesboro, which is also currently a 4A school like Farmington, is listed at the 57th spot with 529 students. Clarksville, which moved to 5A from 4A after the 2011-12 school year, is 58th with 524 students and will be Farmington’s nearest conference foe 91 miles away.

In the 59th position with 511 students is Hope. DeQueen, which is currently 5A, is number 61 with an enrollment of 494 and Morrilton is 62nd with 494, followed by Little Rock Christian Academy with 410 and private school, Pulaski Academy of Little Rock at 291.

Prairie Grove checks in at number 80 with 415 students among the student body and remains in 4A.

Lincoln is listed in the 99th spot. The Wolves are expected to have 325 students, from which to draw athletic teams and will compete in 4A.

This comes as no surprise to Clay Hendrix, Lincoln superintendent of schools.

“A lot of people in Lincoln thought we’d be in 4A one cycle and then go back down to 3A but I did some of my own math and we’ll be in 4A again. We have a lot of kids in high school,” Hendrix said.

Shiloh Christian High School, of Springdale, which petitioned and moved up to 5A after the

2011-12 school year, could return to 4A in the 110th position with an enrollment of 241. Shiloh Christian won’t be the smallest in 4A. Subiaco Academy (222), Central Arkansas Christian (211) and Arkansas Baptist High (205) are in the 111-113 positions.

Farmington’s move upward has also been anticipated by their U.S. 62 rivals.

“There is no question that Farmington will eventually grow out of the 1-4A Conference,” said Steve Halbert, who was then president of the Prairie Grove All-Sports Booster Club in a 2012 interview.

At the time Halbert was working on a project he wished would become a reality in the joint development of a rivalry football trophy to be shared between Farmington and Prairie Grove in the annual gridiron series.

“When we’re done, hopefully, both sides will agree on a concept and embrace a concept of capitalizing on a long-standing rivalry between the two schools. The rivalry is always going to be there, the trophy just adds to the drama in a positive way,” Halbert said.

The rivalry trophy initiative has taken a back seat and the Prairie Grove All-Sports Booster Club was subsequently disbanded and later replaced with a new organization with Jake McBride elected as president.

With the pending separation of the Cardinals from the 1-4A Conference, which they have long shared with Prairie Grove, and this year with Lincoln, the time may be ripe to once again consider a proposal introduced by Darin Strange and the Farmington Football Booster Club in 2011 and develop a rivalry trophy.

Long live the rivalry.