What better way to open a season than to play your arch-rival? That is exactly what Jonesboro-Hodge High School will do this Friday evening when they trek 24 pine tree-filled miles down Hwy 167 south to take on Winnfield High School. Kick off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
Official records show the 2025 contest will be the 98th time the two schools with the same mascot Tiger namesake will have played each other in the series that first began in 1917. The two Tigers have played each other every year since 1945, with the exception of 2019 when the game was cancelled due to the COVID epidemic, with Winnfield holding a 53-43-2 all-time advantage, including victories in two of the last three contests.
Under the guidance of head coach Terrance Blankenship, now entering his school record 13th season at the helm, the series record is 3-8 in favor of Winnfield, with the highlight being a 57-32 victory in 2021, which equaled the 1937 contest for most points ever scored by JHHS in the series. This will also mark the 30th time the two schools will have opened the season against each other, with Winnfield holding a 20-10 advantage.
What to expect!
Over the past four years, the game has been what could be dubbed as a “battle between brothers” as the two head coaches, Terrance Blankenship (JHHS) and Jay Watson (WHS), had played side-by-side as linemen for Jonesboro-Hodge High School during the “three peat” years of 1987-89. Adding to the intrigue was the fact that the two lifelong friends had always celebrated their birthdays, which were one day apart, together when they were young. This year Winnfield will have a new head coach in Byron Keller, ending the near “family affair.”
“It will be strange not seeing Jay on the other sideline,” said Blankenship. “He will always be close to me as we have many great memories shared together. I always said that I pulled for him to win every game but one.”
New Look Tigers!
Before the pre-season scrimmage, it was expected that the JHHS backfield would be the same as the year before with Dakota Knox lining up as quarterback and Landon Boston being the tailback. The play of freshman King Campbell changed all that.
Given an opportunity to show his ability, Campbell impressed the Tiger coaching staff so much that they gave him the start at the Bayou Jamb. Campbell proved the choice was a good one as he connected on a beautifully thrown long touchdown pass to wideout D. J. Palmer and led JHHS to a come-from-behind victory. The move also gave the Tigers more flexibility in the backfield as now both Knox and Boston become weapons that have to be dealt with.
“We are eager to see the offense with King at the controls,” said Blankenship. “If he plays like he is capable of it will open our offense up and give Winnfield a lot to have to deal with.”
Keys to Victory!
1. Tigers must tackle well. – Even though JHHS beat Delhi Charter at the Bayou Jamb, there were a lot of tackles that were missed. If that continues, the explosive Winnfield offense will take advantage of that.
2. Must defend passes well. – Again, even though JHHS came away with the victory last week, several passes were completed that never should have been, including a pair of touchdowns that were caught. That can’t happen this week with an experience Winnfield quarterback at the helm.
3. New faces, new places! – One great positive for the Tigers is that Kyron Atkins is expected to return to both the offensive and defensive line after recovering from an early-season injury. Also, with Campbell stepping in a quarterback, the Tiger passing attack should be formidable and with Knox moving to tailback and wideout, his open field capability will have more of an opportunity to shine.