by Ashton Eley.
A new conference brings changes to the 2012 football schedule. The biggest change? Salt Bowl will be played the fourth game of the year.
Many people don’t think this is a good thing for the school’s spirit base if nothing else.
“I just think that no one is going to be as pumped up for the first games now,” junior Beth Morris said, “The Salt Bowl gets everybody prepared for football season. Everybody goes and has fun, and they want to go to more games.”
Others see the Salt Bowl as a hometown tradition, but think that the team will play just as well no matter when it’s played.
“It’s a big change. I don’t really like it because the Salt Bowl has really been a big tradition around Bryant, junior Tim Kelly said, “but we will play anybody whether it is Conway, Cabot or whoever.”
This tradition was not broken without effort to preserve it. Football coach Paul Calley, who made out the team’s schedule, held out as long as possible to try and make it work.
“We waited to find a first game because we thought we could get the Salt Bowl switched,” Calley said.
The plan, Calley said, was to keep the Salt Bowl first, which would now be considered a conference game, and to get Little Rock Central and Little Rock Catholic, who were both in the Central Conference, to play first also. The problem was Central moved to the East and Catholic stayed in the Central Conference. Without another conference game matchup, the team would be unable to play Benton first.
“Toward the end, we couldn’t get the games moved how we needed to, so we went ahead and scheduled the first playing date,” Calley said. “I was afraid we wouldn’t find one if we waited any longer.”
The team’s first game is against Conway Aug. 31. This is after a scrimmage against Little Rock Hall Aug. 21. Other non-conference games are Little Rock Central Sept. 7 and Catholic Sept. 14.
“I think it is going to be beneficial for us to play those 7A schools early,” Calley said. “In order for us to secure more points for seeding in the playoffs, we have to play 7A schools.”
The official date of the Salt Bowl is Sept 21. It will still be held at War Memorial.
Junior Hayden Lessenberry, like Kelly, said he thinks it will be a change, but said he felt it could be a positive one.
“Honestly I think it could be good because usually during season, we play a lot better the fourth game than we do the first game. I think we’ll have a better outcome, Lessenberry said. “[This season] will be a change, but I think it will be good for us. “
Other conference games are against Pine Bluff Sept 28, Little Rock Fair Oct. 5, Sheridan Oct. 12 (homecoming), Texarkana Oct. 19, Lake Hamilton Oct. 26 (senior night), and El Dorado Nov. 1.
Playoff games start Nov. 9. The State Championship is Nov. 3o or Dec. 1 and will be played at War Memorial.
