Talk about going from the bottom to the top. No, this isn’t a discussion about placements or standings after seven weeks of the LHSAA prep football season. This is about direction and location.
Jonesboro-Hodge High School will load up for a second straight LONG road trip this Thursday (YES, you read that right, THURSDAY!!) as the Tigers delve back into District 1-1A play by making a trip to the very northwest corner of the state to Plain Dealing.
Compared to the solid three-hour jaunt south to deep in the heart of “Cajun Country” where the Tigers bested Dequincy 21-7 to move to 4-3 on the season, the estimated one hour and 40 minute drive to Plain Dealing seems like a walk in the park, but it is still a long way.
“After Thursday, we will have gone about as far south and north as you can go in the state,” laughed JHHS head coach Terrance Blankenship, who looks at the back-to-back long road trips as a positive for his team.
“There was really no rhyme or reason that it was scheduled this way. Kind of the way it fell when we were forced to find a replacement for Ringgold on the schedule last year,” said Blankenship. “As it turns out, though, this is a great experience to prepare us for what might be ahead when we get to the postseason.”
Tigers make big leap in Power Point Rankings!
The long road trip to DeQuincy and the corresponding 21-7 victory certainly proved fruitful for JHHS as the Tigers jumped all the way to #16 in Division IV “non-select” school rankings, up four spots from the week before.
“The win was good for us in a lot of ways, and certainly in the rankings,” confirmed Blankenship. “If we can continue to keep this momentum going, we will have a shot at hosting a playoff game, which we really want for our fans.”
Series History! Fifteen times these two schools have been scheduled to play each other since the first contest in 1929, with JHHS holding a commanding 13-2 all-time advantage. This includes the 2-0 forfeit victory awarded to Jonesboro-Hodge after Plain Dealing didn’t show up for what was to be the Tigers’ 2024 Homecoming Game, stating that they didn’t have enough healthy players to field a team. The last time the two schools did play was in 2018, with JHHS taking a 50-6 victory, which came on the heels of a 32-13 victory in 2017, giving J-H head coach Terrance Blankenship a 3-0 record against the Lions. The two times Plain Dealing has won in the series were a 28-18 victory in 1995 and an 8-6 affair in 1998.
How to listen or watch the game!
For those not able to make the mid-week journey to the northwestern corner of the state, you can still follow the Tigers by tuning to ROUX102, found at 102.3 FM on the radio dial, where Ben Ledbetter and Clay Williams will be bringing all the play-by-play, insights, and highlights.
The Tigers’ pre-game show will begin at 6:30 pm, which will include a segment of the JHHS coaches’ show where coach “Blank” speaks about the contest and season to date, followed by the kickoff slated for 7:00 pm.
For those who are outside the 102.3 listening area, you can also catch the contest by downloading the ROUX102 app or by going to the http://www.roux102.com website. As an added feature, you can also livestream the game by downloading the HudlFan App and following the prompts.
How to get there!
The trip to Plain Dealing is roughly 90 miles long and takes an average of 1 hour and 40 minutes. The fastest way and easiest drive to get there according to Google Maps is:
Take Hwy 147 North to Arcadia
Take I-20 West to Minden
Take exit 44 North (Cotton Valley /Springhill) onto Hwy 371 North
Take Hwy 371 North to Sarepta
Take Hwy 2 West to Plain Dealing
Turn on East Vance Street – Plain Dealing High address: 300 East Vance Street