CAC, Nashville rekindle previous short-lived football rivalry: Column
When I decided to make a career out of sports media I knew there would be 'those games' where I would struggle to balance personal feelings and professionalism.
This Friday's Class 4A second round bout between Central Arkansas Christian (8-2) and Nashville (8-3) at Mustang Mountain is one of those for me.
As a 2008 graduate of CAC, this is much more than just a chance for my alma mater to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2015.
It will be the ninth all-time meeting between the two, but many probably do not remember that this was one of the premier rivalries in Arkansas prep football from 2004-2007. Each one of those matchups had either conference or state title implications of some sort on the line.
Though the squads have had four additional showdowns since, Friday's contest will be the first time any kind championship implications have been on the line in 16 seasons.
One of Arkansas' premier programs versus an unknown
I had never heard of Nashville (Ark.) before ninth grade. My English teacher, Brittany Arnold (née Jamison), who was fresh out of college in her first year of teaching, was telling us about herself on the first day of school ,and she mentioned Nashville was her hometown.
Of course, the entire class thought she was talking about the Nashville (Tenn.), so she made an illustration on the board where it was located and that was that.
Upon doing a bit of research as a 15-year-old, I quickly discovered the lore of Scrapper football.
Boasting over 800 victories, Nashville is one of the state's all-time premier programs. Along with that, the Scrappers have eight state championships to their name, three of which were consecutive from 2005-07, my sophomore through senior years of high school.
Simply put, Nashville was as well-known around the state as any program for its success.
CAC, well, was not.
Prior to 2002, the Mustangs had clinched a playoff berth just three times in 26 years and achieved five winning seasons in that span.
From 2008-2021, CAC reached the postseason nine times and advanced past the first round four times.
Nashville has missed the postseason just one time since 1990.
Perry takes reins for best stretch in CAC history
The landscape of CAC football hit a new gear with the hiring of Tim Perry in the early 2000s. A tough-nosed West Virginian who previously had ties to the state during his time as a player for John Prock at Harding University, Perry is too humble of a man to admit it, but the program would not have come close to reaching the level it did without his tutelage.
Under Perry, excellence was not expected, but demanded, and if you did not buy in then you would not make it. Period. He was brought in by Ronnie Sewell, who was CAC's superintendent at the time and also whom Perry worked under during his 14 years as head coach of Alabama Christian Academy in Montgomery.
During those days I was not sure if there was a meaner person, at least on the football field, to ever walk the planet. But I can say with full confidence that you would be hard-pressed to find someone who played for Coach Perry and stuck it out that would not jump in front of a bullet for him. I sure would.
At the time he was hired prior to the 2001 season, Perry was looking to make a job move but desired to get closer to his parents who were still living in West Virginia. However, when his old boss and good friend came calling, Perry felt it was in his best interest to listen. He did just that and despite wanting to find any reason not to take the job, it was just too enticing to turn down.
"Ronnie Sewell told me to come out to visit, and I did it mainly out of friendship for him," Perry said. "I looked around and was intrigued so I started contacting some of my former college teammates from Harding who were familiar with CAC's program. Just about everyone I talked to said that CAC was a sleeping giant.
"When I was calling those guys I really wanted them to tell me negative things because I did not think that was the direction I wanted to go. I ended up accepting the position and it was just a tremendous time in my life."
Perry's first year was basically same song different verse as the Mustangs finished 3-7 for the second consecutive season. However, by Year 2 in 2002 he got them back to the playoffs and earned eight wins.
2003 was the breakout season where the Mustangs got off to the best start in school history - which still stands today - reeling off 12 consecutive wins before a devastating quarterfinal loss to eventual 3A state runner-up Rivercrest where they were stuffed by the Colts on the goal line.
However, CAC was not going to go away just yet. Multiple starters returned for the 2004 season where they would reach the highest point and Nashville would end up being one of the hurdles the Mustangs had to jump to get there.
Scrappin' with Nashville
In November of 2004, my ninth grade year, I traveled with a friend and his dad to Nashville - the town I had just learned about from my ninth grade English teacher months earlier - to watch them play CAC for a right to play in the 3A state finals.
CAC won comfortably, 27-6, and went onto claim the state championship over now-shuttered Pine Bluff Dollarway the next week. Despite the Mustangs losing a lot from that state championship squad, including dynamic quarterback Jesse Gates, there was still plenty to look forward to.
Though I played very little as a sophomore, we made it back to the state finals where, as luck would have it, we faced Nashville. The Scrappers were definitely the better team that night and their win was the start of what became a dynasty.
Major changes came in Arkansas prep sports the following school year in 2006-07 when I was a junior. There was a reclassification overhaul and as classifications were previously 2A-5A, it became what is now the current format with 2A-7A. It probably is not hard to predict, but we were slotted in the original 4A-7 with Nashville for that cycle. The Scrappers went undefeated that 2006 season and won their second consecutive state title, while we finished 9-4 after getting drug by Warren 42-0 in the 4A quarterfinals.
My senior year in 2007, we knew we had something special. Of course we had eventual Razorback legend Joe Adams, but the talent did not stop with him. He just took us to another level.
Realistically, our main goal was a state championship but I truly believe as a team more than anything we wanted to beat Nashville.
While Nashville continued to dominate, we started off slow 1-1-1 before winning the first two conference games. Our two-game win streak was nothing on Nashville's 33 consecutive, the state's longest active streak at the time.
That whole week leading up to the game we were so locked in. I think I maybe said two words in those four days, but I do remember on the ride through town heading to their stadium thinking that this was certainly one of the best, if not the best, high school football towns in Arkansas. The atmosphere across the entire community, and especially once you get on the field, is just different than anywhere else I ever played.
We said our prayer as a team - moments after a quick pregame speech that was certainly not be CAC approved - and we went to battle.
We got on them early 14-0, but went into halftime tied at 14. I remember as our quarterback, Drew Stringfellow, and I were walking to the locker room we crossed paths with Nashville head coach Billy Dawson. Coach looked at us, smiled and said "this is how it is supposed to be, ain't it boys?"
To no surprise, it was a very physical second half that we were fortunate to come out on top 38-28 (they turned the scoreboard off before the clock hit all zeros) and snap the streak. In such an intense matchup, you would expect there to be hostility.
You have to remember, this is CAC: the privileged, rich private school kids versus Nashville: the blue-collar, roll up your sleeves kids. Or so the stereotypes go.
It was actually the opposite. Their fans were telling us things such as "If we are going to lose to anyone, we want it to be to you guys." That really stuck out to me as a 17-year-old kid. While that may just be an old corny phrase, they did not have to treat us with such great hospitality. But they did.
I already had a lot of respect for the Nashville community, but that night really solidified it for me and that respect has gown stronger as I have gotten older.
It does need to be pointed out, though, despite us getting that big victory and going on to win a 4A-7 conference championship unblemished, Nashville does have the three state title rings to flaunt.
New surroundings but familiar faces
Perry left CAC following the 2007 season to take the offensive coordinator position at Harding University, where he stayed for two years.
In a wild turn of events, his next move was to Nashville for two seasons where he coincidentally replaced the aforementioned Dawson. Perry played against CAC both years in nonconference action, as the Scrappers prevailed 38-35 in the first matchup before CAC returned the favor in 2011 winning 28-14.
While it was a weird feeling taking on his former team that had so many thrilling finishes with his current squad, the most eerie feeling was standing across from Tommy Shoemaker, CAC's coach who had taken over for Perry.
"What adds to all of it is I was Tommy's high school coach at Alabama Christian," Perry said. "So here I am coaching against a guy that had all of the success he did at Harding Academy so that kind of added to everything ."
CAC and Nashville last played in 2012 and 2013, a cycle where they were reunited in the 4A-7 conference. They split those games with CAC winning 49-21 in 2012 and Nashville 43-12 in 2013.
Previewing Friday's game
Nashville has sustained the success from the mid-2000's and won their most recent state title in 2015, which was current head coach Mike Volarvich's first season.
As the Scrappers have remained a consistent playoff contender, the Mustangs have just recently regained their success. CAC did enjoy some good times under Shoemaker, but the past two seasons were a major struggle with just two wins each in 2021-22 after earning eight victories in 2020.
Former University of Central Arkansas quarterback and current CAC head coach Ryan Howard is, like Volarvich, an offensive guru and has completely changed the culture of the program. CAC won its first outright conference title since 2020 this year and has the upper hand on the Scrappers as far as offensive production goes. CAC quarterback Grayson Wilson, a University of Arkansas commit, and the Mustang offense is averaging 48.1 points per game, while the very young Scrapper offense is putting up 36.5.
The Nashville defense does surrender 23.5 points per contest, but where it may have an edge is on the defensive line in sophomore sensation Zaccheus Harris, who has an eye-popping 23 quarterback sacks on the season.
When I walk into the gates at Mustang Mountain on Friday I will immediately shift from a purple and gold crazed alumnus to a neutral mindset. That being said, it is a breath of fresh air to see these two teams who mean a great deal to me earning the opportunity to play with big implications up for grabs once again.
--Kyle Sutherland
