Neville/Ouachita Series Brings R-E-S-P-E-C-T and Intensity... Monroe, LA (Bill Ruple Stadium) -- Rivalries come in all shapes and sizes, each driven by a unique chemistry between two teams that set it apart from others. You can get anything from the big brother vs. little brother dynamic, public schools against private schools — that never happens in Louisiana, right — or the close quarter contempt that comes with teams each claiming dominion over one area. The Neville-Ouachita series has the geographic familiarity needed for a rivalry, but without the contempt its known for breeding. Most of Ouachitas animosity remains reserved for district foe West Monroe. Historically, the same could be said for Neville when the Tigers and the Rebels were regular opponents, but some of that has shifted in the last decade to an always intense district matchup with Bastrop, who won three straight state titles from 2005-07. What characterizes the Neville vs. Ouachita rivalry is the respect level between both schools from the top down. Its a rivalry, but its a clean one, second-year Ouachita coach Jeff Fitzgerald said. All our kids know each other and were competitive, but its built on a compassion and comradery. Both teams realize at the end that its just a game, but at the same time youre hoping its your year to get one. Motivation is never a problem for players on either end — especially this year given that it will be the first game ever played on field turf at Nevilles Bill Ruple Stadium. Its always fun playing Ouachita because everybody comes out to watch, Neville safety Anterrius Petey Butler said. I look forward to it every year. Its no secret that both of these teams want nothing more than to beat the other, but sometimes things happen in life that show just how insignificant even the biggest of games are. Last season when the entire Ouachita community was shocked by the tragic death of defensive end Dillon Neal in a car accident, a group of Neville players were one of the first to show up at the Lion field house and grieve with them. Ouachita returned the favor last week by helping organize a white out event, where the student body at both schools wore white on Thursday to support Nevilles Cole Tracey, who collapsed at practice last Wednesday and rushed to St. Francis Medical Center. Tracey underwent defibrillator implantation surgery in New Orleans and returned home this week. We miss Dillon greatly, and weve been praying for everyone at Neville, Ouachita tight end Carlos Robinson said. Ive got a lot of friends over there, but were all competitive and you cant wait to get out there and beat up on your buddies a little bit. Neville enters Friday night in a way the program hasnt since 2010 — coming off a regular season loss after falling short against Longview 19-13. While its a new situation for this current group of Tigers (1-1), neither the players nor coaches are dwelling on the loss. Despite leaving some points on the field, Neville put itself in position for the win with a late fourth quarter drive but couldnt cash in. We lost by six and theres seven points right there, Neville coach Mickey McCarty said. The lesson there is we have to play a complete game. Losing a game sometimes makes you sharper than winning one and I think thatll be the case this week. Nevilles Kavontae Turpin has 394 all-purpose yards through two games while quarterback J.T. Jackson has thrown four touchdowns to no interceptions. Ouachita went on the road last week, losing to Evangel 25-17 with its own points left on the field. An interception return for a touchdown by B.J. Hollis was called back on a late pass interference call and the Lions were called for intentional grounding after spiking the ball to stop the clock in the final minutes. We played our tails off and some things that were out of our control went the other way, but our kids never lost hope, Fitzgerald said. Regardless of the outcome they have a great attitude and kept competing. Backs Cam Davis and Garrett Heath ran for a combined 161 yards in the loss. We told our team that theres definitely some carryover this week in that regard, McCarty said. Theyre going to run it downhill at you with a little option game theyll mix in and do it with some good athletes. In the past several years theres been some good games in this series and Friday shouldnt be any different. Ouachita (1-1) at Neville (1-1) Kickoff: 7 p.m., KNOE 101.9-FM (Neville), KXRR 106.1-FM (Ouachita) Who/What to watch: Friday night is the 30th meeting between Neville and Ouachita since 1982, with Neville holding an 18-11 series lead. Get in the game: Ouachitas last win in the series came at the Lions Den in 2010.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 23:26:10 +0000
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