RISON - Both the Rison Wildcats and Woodlawn Bears will see some changes in their football conference affiliations beginning with the 2024 season.
The Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) released its conference assignments for the 2024 and 2025 football seasons last Thursday, Dec. 14, following its biennial re-classifications.
Rison will be playing in the 83A conference along with Barton, Drew Central, Dumas, Fordyce, Lake Village, McGehee and Palestine-Wheatley.
The Wildcats played in the 63A conference this past season, which had just six members: Rison, Barton, Drew Central, Fordyce, Camden Harmony Grove and Lake Village. Harmony Grove was moved to the 7-3A conference for this latest two-year cycle while Dumas and McGehee were shifted from the Class 4A ranks to the new 83A.
Overall, there are 48 teams in new Class 3 A divided among six eight-team conferences.
“I’m glad to see some tradition- rich teams like McGehee coming in,” said Rison Coach Caleb Carmikle. Rison and McGehee were both in the 6-3A conference two years ago.
Rison is quiet familiar with Dumas having squared off with the Bobcats the past two seasons during as a non-conference clash. Before that, Rison and Dumas regularly played one another in scrimmage games before the start of the season.
While Camden Harmony Grove will no longer be a conference opponent for the Wildcats, Carmikle said he has already scheduled the Hornets for Week 1 of the 2024 season. Carmikle said he is having to renew a search for two other nonconference opponents after possible match-ups with Bigelow, this year’s Class 2A state champion, and Mayflower fell through.
Regarding the non-conference schedule, Carmikle said he will (see WOODLAWN page 2) (continued from page 1) not have another situation were the Wildcats had just four home games and six road games like Rison had this past season. He said the 2024 schedule will have five home ...
To access content, please login or purchase a subscription.