This Friday, Jonesboro-Hodge will travel to Winnfield for the longest standing rivalry in both schools history that will conclude the 2023 regular season in football.
You can throw the season records for both teams away. It doesn’t matter in this one. For over a hundred years nothing has meant as much to either school as a victory in this one.
The game as Stokes/Walker stadium will mark the 96th time the two have played against each other since the first contest was played in 1919 that finds Winnfield holding a 50-43-2 alltime advantage. For both schools the total of wins and losses represents the most in history. Since 1945 the two schools have played every year but one, when the Covid epidemic caused the game to be cancelled. The contest will also be the 29th time that the two schools, will have played as members of the same district with Winnfield having a slim 15-13 advantage.
Over the years one school or the other is normally part of the equation when it comes to those contending for a district champion or even a state title but this year both have struggled. JHHS and Winnfield both come into the contest with a 1-3 record in District 3-2A play with both having beaten Lakeview and lost to Many, Red River and Mansfield. Overall JHHS is 3-6 while Winnfield is 2-7. In comparative district contests JHHS has scored 76 points while giving up 131 to their four opponents while Winnfield has scored only 36 points and given up 127.
Keys to Victory!
- Minimize mistakes! When JHHS doesn’t turn the ball over they have shown they could play with everyone on their schedule.
- Continue to run the ball effectively! Against Lakeview the Tigers ran the ball well which opened up the passing attack. That will be imperative this week as well.
- Don’t give up “cheapies”! Far to often this year, JHHS has given opponents great field position resulting in easy scores. The Tigers must make Winnfield earn their points.