RISON - While the Rison Wildcats will open the 2025 season with the fewest players they have had on a roster in several years, Coach Chris Vereen said he learned over the summer that they are not alone when it comes to numbers and that includes this week’s season-opening opponent in Camden Harmony Grove.The ‘Cats will kick off their 2025 season with a road trip to Ouachita County to face in the Hornets at 7 p.m. Friday. The Rison and Camden Harmony Grove junior high teams are scheduled to face one another at 7 p.m. Thursday at George Walker Field of Champions in Rison with the 7th grade teams starting a 5:30 p.m.Rison enters the season with 27 players on the roster, one of the Wildcats’ smallest rosters in recent years. However, Vereen said that Harmony Grove has even smaller numbers with just 22 players available, and that lack of depth was evident, especially late, in the Hornets’ 36-0 loss at home to Junction City last week.Vereen called Camden Harmony Grove a “mirror image” to Rison in terms of numbers and returnees. Like the Wildcats, the Hornets return their starting quarterback in All-State selection Damien Burns, who threw for 989 yards and rushed for 959 in Coach Ernie Horstkamp’s multiple offense.Overall, Harmony Grove returns six starters on offense and six on defense from a team that went 6-5 and finished third in the 7-3A. They were surprised by Dumas, 28-14, in the first round of the playoffs.In addition to Burns, Harmony Grove also returns All-Conference wide receiver Logan Nipp, who had 21 receptions last year.Vereen said Rison and Harmony Grove aren’t the only teams struggling with low numbers this year as he said several of the coaches at the other 8-3A schools are reporting with roster numbers somewhere in the mid-2o’s range.While the ‘Cats have 27 on the roster, not all of them will be available for the season opener Friday. Vereen told those attending the R...
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