BRANSON, Mo. -- Harrison has performed well in recent years at the Borderline Battle 7-on-7 tournament today in Branson, Mo., but the Goblins might not be at full strength.
Harrison coach Joel Wells said the Goblins might be missing as many as five regulars because of vacations and travel baseball. But they were good at last weekend's Stateline Shootout in Siloam Springs, finishing second in the 16-team event.
"It's a sacrifice we're willing to make to have dual-sport athletes and that's a good thing," Wells said. "One thing that concerns me a little bit, we flat emptied the tank on Saturday. We played 10 games, went all the way to the finals.
"We left at 6:15 in the morning and got back about 7:45 in the evening. If we don't have them, it means more opportunities for some of our younger guys."
But Harrison will be joined by a few other Arkansas schools today in the third annual 24-team tournament at Branson High School. The field will also include Alma, Gentry, Mountain Home, Bentonville, Rogers along with Harrison. Rogers High, Alma and Nixa, Mo., will enter both a varsity and a JV team, while Bentonville High will enter only its JV group.
Pool play begins at 2 p.m. with championship play scheduled to begin at 6:15 with the four division winners squaring off in the semifinals. The tournament final is slated for 6:45.
Rogers coach Chad Harbison said the Mounties should be at full strength save tight end Joel Garner, who was dinged up at Siloam Springs on Saturday. They were missing a few regulars, including quarterback Noah Goodshield who also plays baseball.
Harbison said it's important to keep everything in perspective as to the time of the year after losing in the first round of the tournament at Siloam Springs.
"We didn't play as well as we could have," Harbison said. "But you gotta remember it's June and we're trying to get better. I have a real high expectation of what we would do from the aspect of throwing and catching the football.
"It's kinda the last thing we'll do before the dead period. Hopefully, we're better this week than we were last week."
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Today’s Ticket
Border Battle 7-on-7 Football Tournament
At Branson (Mo.) High School
Notable: The 24-team event will be divided into four six-team divisions. … Pool play begins at 2 p.m. with semifinal games between the division champions scheduled for 6:15 followed by the championship game. … Arkansas schools competing include Harrison, Rogers, Alma, Bentonville, Mountain Home and Gentry.