Class 7A five key games

Bryant, under the direction of Coach Buck James, will face Benton on Friday in the Salt Bowl, which will be played at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock for the 20th consecutive season.
Bryant, under the direction of Coach Buck James, will face Benton on Friday in the Salt Bowl, which will be played at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock for the 20th consecutive season.

Bryant vs. Benton (Aug. 30)

The Salt Bowl between Saline County rivals Bryant and Benton is the state's biggest rivalry. The game will be played at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock for the 20th consecutive season. Last year's game was marred by an incident in the north end zone concourse in the third quarter that sent fans panicking from the stadium. Bryant was declared the winner, 28-14.

Cabot at Pine Bluff (Sept. 6)

With the retirement of Mike Malham after 38 seasons, Cabot enters a new era with former El Dorado coach Scott Reed. Reed will have the Panthers throw the ball more than Malham did in his Dead-T offense. The Panthers kick off the 2019 season in Pine Bluff, which is led by new Coach Rod Stinson, who takes over for Bobby Bolding.

Bentonville at Fayetteville (Oct. 18)

New Fayetteville Coach Casey Dick will have six games under his belt by the time Bentonville comes to town. The Bulldogs and Tigers have had legendary battles over the years, including the Class 7A state championship game in 2014. This could be for the No. 1 seed in the 7A-West Conference, so both teams should be ready to go.

North Little Rock at Bryant (Nov. 1)

This is a rematch of the Class 7A state championship game, won by Bryant. The Hornets led last season's regular-season meeting 21-0 in the first quarter in North Little Rock, but the Charging Wildcats came back to win 34-28 in one of the best games of the season. Charging Wildcats Coach Jamie Mitchell is 3-0 in the regular season against Bryant, but he has said the state championship loss to the Hornets haunts him.

Fort Smith Northside

at Fort Smith Southside (Nov. 8)

The Battle of Rogers Avenue resumes in the final week of the regular season. This will be the last 7A-Central Conference meeting between Fort Smith Northside and Fort Smith Southside for at least two seasons. Northside (7A-Central) and Southside (7A-West) will be in separate conferences for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. As for the next two seasons, Northside and Southside haven't announced whether they will play each other in nonconference play.

Sports on 08/25/2019

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