A person can get whiplash trying to catch a glimpse of the vast amount of ongoing construction in Northwest Arkansas.
But for all that's new to the area, things that are old or traditional remain to provide balance. There are high school rivalries, for instance, that date back more than 100 years.
The oldest series in Northwest Arkansas is the football rivalry between Fayetteville High School and Springdale High School. There are other rivalries of note, including Rogers and Bentonville, Farmington and Prairie Grove, and Gravette and Gentry. But Fayetteville vs. Springdale stands out because of its longevity and the combined 12 state championships the teams have won.
The rivalry changed some in 2006 when Springdale added a second school, Har-Ber High School, but games between the Red Bulldogs and Purple Bulldogs are still a main attraction.
Zak Clark has been on both sides as the head football coach at Springdale and former quarterback at Fayetteville.
"When both were one-school towns, the rivalry was unlike any other," Clark said. "There was always something going on during the week leading up to the game, and what made it fun was the students getting involved. There were the chicken box hats and the purple marshmallows that were dropped on the field one year. One time, there were kids from Springdale who released some chickens at Fayetteville High School, and another year there was a streaker in purple tights running around.
"When you got to the actual game, the place would be packed, and the games were usually close."
Springdale holds a 64-43-13 lead in a series that began with two ties in 1908. Both schools claim to have adopted the bulldog mascot first. To differentiate, Springdale is nicknamed the Red Bulldogs and Fayetteville the Purple Bulldogs.
Springdale beat Fayetteville 56-14 in 2005 when the Red Bulldogs finished 14-0 and fielded what is mostly considered the greatest high school football team in Arkansas. Two years later, Fayetteville beat Springdale 54-41 while winning its first state championship in the playoff era.
In 2009, Fayetteville and Springdale played on a Saturday afternoon after the game was delayed from Friday because of a bus accident involving the Springdale team. The Red Bulldogs were on their way back from a pre-game meal when the bus went off the road and fell on its side. No players were seriously injured, and the teams played an exciting game the next day.
Springdale grabbed an early lead, but Fayetteville won 50-49 when future Razorback quarterback Brandon Allen threw a late touchdown pass to the back of the end zone with only seconds left.
Rogers and Bentonville are longtime rivals, although the series leans heavily in the Tigers' favor in recent years. The Mounties still lead the series that began in 1913, 70-38-6.
Gravette and Gentry are small-school rivals who generate plenty of excitement when they converge on the western side near the Oklahoma border. The Gentry gymnasium was packed in February when senior Chastery Fuamatu made the winning basket to give the Lady Pioneers a 53-52 victory over the Lady Lions.
She spoke of the importance of the victory over her school's rival.
"My first game when I started in the fourth grade was against Gravette, and we lost to them," Fuamatu said. "Now, it's my last game against Gravette, and we won."
Longtime rivals Farmington and Prairie Grove were placed in different conferences because of reclassification. But the schools decided the rivalry and gate receipts were too important to let the series die. They face off as nonconference opponents in the season opener, much like Alma and Van Buren have done for years in football.
With the growth of Northwest Arkansas, new rivalries will develop to entertain sports fans. Bentonville High School and and the district's other high school, West High School, are already a top draw two years after that split.
The 7A-West championship in football was at stake when Bentonville and West met at Tiger Stadium on Nov. 3. Extra bleachers were brought in to accommodate an overflow crowd to watch the 9-0 Wolverines and the 7-2 Tigers tangle.
Bentonville bea West, 37-28, in a showdown that lived up to the hype and drew statewide attention.
"This is the type of atmosphere and the kind of game you want on a Friday night," said Bentonville assistant coach Tony Cherico, who was involved in many big games as a former Razorback. "When we got off the bus and made our entrance into the stadium, we had goosebumps and hairs on the back of our necks. Just a tremendous night with two titans going at it."
Another chapter will unfold this fall when West hosts Bentonville in its new stadium in Centerton for the first time. The rematch promises to contribute more highlights to a changing and vibrant sports scene in Northwest Arkansas.
NW News on 03/11/2018