Alright, so you wanna know ’bout this Fort Smith Southside football, huh? Well, lemme tell ya, it’s a buncha boys runnin’ around with a pigskin, tryin’ to knock each other down. That’s what I see, anyways.
Fort Smith Southside Football: Them Mavericks Got Grit
I heard tell they got this big game, the “Battle of Rogers Avenue” they call it. Sounds fancy, but it’s just a buncha kids from one side of town playin’ against the kids from the other side. Like that time the Johnson boys from down the road got into it with the Miller boys over who got the biggest pumpkin at the county fair. Same kinda thing, just with more helmets and pads, ya know?
- The Games are Real Rough: These boys, they ain’t playin’ patty-cake. They’re smackin’ each other good. I seen some games where they practically carried each other off the field. Makes my old bones ache just watchin’ it.
- Southside’s Got a History: Seems like they been playin’ this football for a long time. Heard tell they even won some big games, championships and such. Folks ’round here get real worked up about it.
- Those Games are Always on TV: You can watch ’em on TV, too, they said. I ain’t got no fancy TV, just that old box with the rabbit ears, but some folks around here got the new ones. They say it’s all clear and fancy-like. Me? I prefer listenin’ to the radio, lets me imagine it better.
Now, I heard tell once that Southside was down somethin’ awful, like 21 to nothin’. Twenty-one! That’s a lot of points, even for someone like me who don’t know nothin’ about this stuff. But them boys, they didn’t give up. They kept fightin’ and runnin’ and throwin’ that ball, and they came back and won the whole darn thing. See, that’s what I call grit. Reminds me of that time my old mule, Bess, got stuck in the mud. Thought she was done for, but she just kept kickin’ and pullin’, and we got her out. That’s the Southside spirit, I reckon.
Them games, they get folks all riled up. You got the cheerleaders, all jumpin’ and hollerin’, and the band playin’ loud music. And the people in the stands, they yell and cheer for their team. It’s a whole lot of noise, but it’s kinda excitin’, too. Makes me feel young again, almost. Almost.
This “Mavericks” team, that’s what they call Southside. I don’t rightly know what a maverick is, but sounds tough, like somethin’ wild and free. And them boys, they play like mavericks, runnin’ all over the place, not afraid of nothin’. Sometimes they fall down, but they get right back up and keep goin’. That’s the important part, see? Don’t matter how many times you get knocked down, long as you get back up.
They got this fella, the quarterback, I think they call him. He’s the one who throws the ball. He’s gotta be smart, that boy. Gotta know where everyone is and where to throw that ball so his fellas can catch it. It’s like tryin’ to throw a feed sack to a chicken from across the yard, only the chicken is runnin’ and there’s a bunch of other chickens tryin’ to stop you. Hard work, I tell ya.
And the defense, them fellas gotta be tough. Their job is to stop the other team from scorin’. They gotta be like a buncha ornery bulls, chargin’ and hittin’ and not lettin’ nobody through. I seen some of them boys hit so hard, it made me wince. But that’s football, I guess. It ain’t for the faint of heart.
So, this Fort Smith Southside football, it’s more than just a game, I reckon. It’s about community, about pride, about never givin’ up. It’s about them boys learnin’ to work together, to fight for somethin’ bigger than themselves. And that, well, that ain’t a bad thing at all. Even an old lady like me can see that.
And I heard you can even catch a game on the radio, starts at six, they say. Pregame somethin’ or other. Six o’clock is when I feed the chickens, though, so maybe I’ll catch a bit of it after they’re all tucked in for the night. It’s good to hear the young’uns are keepin’ busy and out of trouble.
Fort Smith Southside Football: A Real Showdown
I reckon that’s about all I know about this Fort Smith Southside football. It’s a rough and tumble game, played by tough young fellas. And it brings a whole lot of folks together, cheerin’ and hollerin’ and havin’ a good time. So if you’re lookin’ for somethin’ excitin’ to watch, give it a try. Just don’t expect me to explain all them fancy rules and plays. I just watch ’em run and hit, and that’s good enough for me.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go make some supper. Got a pot of beans on the stove that needs stirrin’. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll turn on that old radio and listen to them Mavericks play a little bit. It ain’t as excitin’ as bein’ there, but it’s somethin’. And besides, it reminds me of them Johnson and Miller boys fightin’ over that pumpkin. Some things never change, I guess.