Guest Column : Setting a nonconference football schedule not always easy
Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/Sports/61760/
It’s not even close to August and already Bentonville’s 2008 football schedule is under scrutiny by some. But don’t expect coach Barry Lunney to apologize for it.
The rub for some — those on message boards with too much time on their hands mostly — has been Bentonville’s supposed “ cupcake” in Week 3, a game with Class 5 A Nettleton.
Bentonville’s problem of scheduling nonconference opponents is one made up mostly of geography.
“ It’s a real challenge, ” Lunney said. “ We’re up here in the corner of the state. Border schools, by nature, have a hard time scheduling. ”
It’s a problem Lunney ran into constantly while at Fort Smith Southside, another border school.
Bentonville was left with two nonconference openings after a twoyear deal with Columbia (Mo. ) Hickman expired and Russellville chose not to renew a home-and-home with Bentonville. Bentonville filled those open dates with Fort Zumwalt West out of Missouri and Nettleton from the other side of the state.
Lunney might have been able to schedule a name opponent to fill the Week 3 game. There were talks with Texas High in Texarkana, and Lunney also considered picking up the phone and giving old friend Tony Severino at Kansas City (Mo. ) Rockhurst a call. But after looking at how the first five weeks of the schedule were unfolding, Lunney decided against that.
The Tigers open at Conway, host Fort Zumwalt West, play Nettleton, then open 7 A-West Conference play against Fayetteville and Southside.
The Tigers split with Conway the past two years, losing there 25-24 in 2006 before beating the Wampus Cats 35-6 in 2007. Conway finished 3-7 last year. “ Conway is Conway, ” Lunney said. “ They’re strong and well-coached. ”
Fort Zumwalt West, located in O’Fallon, Mo., is the second-largest high school in the St. Louis area and the third largest in the state with an enrollment of 2, 500 students.
The Jaguars went 9-2 last year after a loss in the first round of the Class 6, eight-team playoff.
As for Nettleton, Lunney said he doesn’t like playing smaller schools, but was left with few options as time passed and contracts were being signed. Lunney’s Tigers have played smaller schools since he has been at Bentonville, but the Greenwood and Huntsville deals were done before he was named head coach.
Rick Jones at Greenwood, a good friend of Lunney’s, vouched for Nettleton’s ability and that was enough.
“ They’re a playoff team, ” Lunney said of Nettleton. “ They can come to beat you. We are not treating it like a gimme game. Looking at the first five games, it’s a pretty brutal schedule. ”
After Nettleton comes Fayetteville, the defending 7 A champ, and Southside, an early favorite to make a run at the league title.
With each passing year, it becomes harder to schedule nonconference opponents, Lunney said. Neighboring states like Missouri and Oklahoma have more schools than Arkansas and have a easier time scheduling. When Lunney was at Southside and Jones was at Broken Arrow, the schools were regular nonconference opponents. But the deal came with its challenges because Oklahoma re-districts every two years, which can cause a scheduling madhouse. “ After those district meetings, coach Jones was on the phone with me saying, ‘ I’ve got this date open, ’ ’ ’ Lunney said. “ You have to jump (on scheduling ) quicker and quicker. ” And be ready to make a lot of phone calls.
• • • Mike Jones is the managing editor of the Daily Record and a former sports writer and editor. He can be reached by e-mail at mikej @ nwanews. com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.