RISON - The Fordyce Redbugs will be overwhelming favorites against the Rison Wildcats when the two teams hook up once more in their 72nd consecutive meeting here Friday, the 13th, in a 63A Conference tussle. Kickoff time is 7 p.m. at George Walker Field of Champions.
While the storied series has seen its share of down-to-thewire finishes over the years, nothing will probably eclipse last year's wild ending at Fordyce, where Rison scored a pair of touchdowns in the last few seconds of the game to bring home a 37-24 victory. No doubt, longtime Fordyce coach Tim Rodgers will not have to remind his group about that ending. Fordyce leads the overall series, dating back to 1952, by a margin of 38-28-5. Fordyce once led the series, 172, and at one point in the 1960s, when the 'Bugs had blanked the 'Cats four straight times, Ray Martin, the "Voice of the Wildcats," remarked that he not only wanted to see Rison win a game, but wanted to see the Wildcats score a touchdown against their rival. That came during a long stretch of Fordyce wins over Rison. A game-by-game record of the series can be found elsewhere.
"Regardless of the records, this is a rivalry game," Rison head coach Caleb Carmikle said Monday. "We're going to go out there with intentions of playing our best game and winning. They (Fordyce) are good, very quick and athletic, so it's going to be a tough test, for sure.'
Carmikle was also quick to point out that he is all too familiar with the Redbugs, having faced Fordyce the past two seasons while the head coach at Magnet Cove. In the 2021 playoffs, the 'Bugs squeaked out a 30-29 win over the Panthers, while last season, Carmikle's Magnet Cove squad fell to Fordyce, 42-24.
"Having faced them the past two years, I'm well aware of their athleticism and explosiveness on offense and speed on defense," Carmikle said.
While Rison is without a win so far in 2023, and coming off its first conference loss last Friday at ...
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