Bragging rights on the line for Bobcats, Tigers

It’s that time again.

Time to throw the records out the windows, put on your best Berryville or Green Forest gear, get to Bobcat Stadium early and grab a seat.

It’s Super Bowl week in Carroll County, and kickoff between the Green Forest Tigers and the Berryville Bobcats is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday.

Both teams have struggled to win this season, especially in the rugged 4A-1 conference. Friday night’s winner will pick up its first conference victory of the season, and head into the offseason on a high note. Both teams are 1-8 overall and 0-6 in conference play.

“Everybody gets up for it,” said Green Forest coach Greg Tibbitt, who guided the Tigers to an 18-12 victory at Berryville in 2020. “I’d always heard about when I first got here. Then I got to experience it my first year. Even though we were still dealing with all the COVID stuff, it was still a huge turnout, a lot of people there. I was kind of shocked by it. It’s a big deal in the area for sure.”

Berryville has won seven of the past 10 meetings, including a 3-0 victory at Tiger Stadium last season. This year’s game could be much less of a defensive battle, as both teams have allowed more than 45 points per game in conference play.

“The weather had a lot to with last year’s game,” Berryville coach Bryan Hutson said. “It was kind of slick out there, and a little cold. It was definitely a defensive, field-position game. It seemed like we were backed up almost the entire game and just played really, really good defense. We’re going to have to have another defensive effort like that.”

Tibbitt said the game could ride on the performances of two talented running backs — Green Forest sophomore Ridge Swofford and Berryville senior Tun Oo.

“I feel like it will come down to those two guys and how we execute and whether either team can stop the other one’s running game,” Tibbitt said.

Swofford ran for 134 yards and three touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass in Green Forest’s 45-41 loss to Huntsville last week. Oo missed Berryville’s 49-13 loss at Lincoln with an injury and Hutson said his status for the Super Bowl was still to be determined Monday morning.

“We’ll see how practice goes,” Hutson said. “He tried to warm up, but he wasn’t more than about 70 percent.”

Hutson coached in his first Carroll County Super Bowl last year. Like Tibbitt, he was impressed with the turnout and support for both teams.

“It was really neat to see last year, all of the fans there with two teams whose records weren’t necessarily all that great,” he said. “But you’re right. You just throw them out the window and go from there.”