Roughly four and a half hours of driving separate Booneville and Rivercrest High School in Wilson, Ark., so you might not think there would be strong ties between them.
However, there is a rather unique one in that Bearcat defensive coordinator Arron Kimes knows his way around Rivercrest. That is because Kimes’ first coaching job was on the Colts staff, and he was there when Rivercrest beat Harding Academy in 2010 to win a state title, the second for the school.
It does not end there. Kimes was also in a Bearcat uniform the last time the two schools met, which was in 2001 in Wilson. In a bit of irony, Kimes also pitched against Rivercrest in a state baseball tournament game his senior year and, as the baseball head coach faced the Colts in the state tournament in 2024.
• Mascots: Booneville Bearcats; Rivercrest Colts
• When: 7 PM, November 21, at Colt Stadium in Wilson, AR
• Series: Booneville leads 3-0
• Streak: Booneville has won last 3
• Last Meeting: Booneville 21 Rivercrest 13 on November 23, 2001
• First Meeting: Booneville 36 Rivercrest 25 on November 19, 1993
• Last Week: Booneville 69 Quitman 27; Rivercrest had a bye
• Conference Affiliations: Booneville is the 3 seed from the 3A-1. Rivercrest is the 1-seed from the 3A-3 with their 35th conference title.
TODAY IN BEARCAT FOOTBALL HISTORY: The Bearcats are 6-3 all time in games documented to have been played on November 21. While most are playoff games, all are not. The playoff record on the date is 5-1.
The first playoff game was on November 21, 1947 against Siloam Springs in a game played in Van Buren. The Bearcats ran for 306 yards and threw for 78 more in a 34-0 win. Don Dempsey ran for three touchdowns, scored two extra points, and threw a touchdown pass to Johnny Chambers.
The oft-cited game of the ages was on November 21, 1986 when the Bearcats beat Junction City 6-0. Both teams survived fumbles in their own territory in the first half. The Bearcats did so with Clint Watson intercepting a pass in the end zone. The game was scoreless into the fourth quarter when Frank Johnson, on a third-and-10, pitched to Paul Smith and a 59-yard touchdown run would be the only points of the game. That was because Eric Jones intercepted another Dragon pass in the end zone with less than 10 seconds to play.
On November 21, 1975 Kenny Kiersey returned an interception 83 yards for a touchdown against Atkins in a game played in Subiaco and won by the Bearcats, 18-6. On November 21, 2014 Josh Smith returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown in a 42-30 win over Prescott. Bryson May ran for 165 yards that night and scored 3 2-point conversions. The returns and conversions are playoff records.
FOUR QUARTERS: 1st quarter: The two defensive touchdowns last week brings the Bearcat total to 5. The 2025 team is now one of 5 with at least 5 defensive TDs. 2nd quarter: The Bearcats do not have a 1,000-yard rusher, but they do have four over 500 for the season. 3rd quarter: With both teams having one turnover last week the Bearcats are still even with their opponents on the season. 4th quarter: The Bearcats now have 28 sacks this season with Braxton Hubble leading the way with 10.
THEME: The pep rally theme is “Bling It On.”
