Friends, Rivals, and Friday Night Lights.

 By: Ryan Fletcher 

When I think about the Hoxie Mustangs and the Walnut Ridge Bobcats, I think of instant rivalry.  After all, it has served as one of Northeast Arkansas’ top and most bitter rivalries for many years.  The two towns are side by side.  There are past stories of actions that have occurred on but mainly off the field that give bystanders the impression that there’s not much love that exist between the two cities.  The two schools even took a hiatus from playing one another.  Last season that break ended as Walnut Ridge moved up into class 3A which put the two schools back in the same conference.  The rivalry was reignited. 

             For Walnut Ridge Bobcat Colin Phillips and Hoxie Mustang Diamani Davis, it has always been a different kind of story.  Of course, they both want to beat one another, but at the end of the day, they are both really good friends.  Phillips serves as the team’s starting running back and also plays at the linebacker position on defense.  Ironically, Davis plays the exact same positions.  So, in a rivalry so heated, how did the two become pals?  It was over a nice game of XBOX.  They both happened to be playing online at the same time.  They were talking to a mutual friend that connected them.  “We met online playing XBOX,” said Davis.  “So eventually we became closer, and we’d hang out, and go to Jonesboro or go grab something to eat.  We play basketball together and go swimming.  It is really a nice friendship for such a big rivalry.’’ 

             Last season Davis rushed for nearly 1,400 yards.  He returns as one of the top running backs in Northeast Arkansas.  While it was his third year to be a starter, it was his first year as the team’s full time running back.  He played on both sides of the ball and never really took a break.  Davis will be expected to do the same again this season and will look to eclipse the numbers he put up a season ago. 

             Phillips will do what Davis did in 2016 and that’s take over the running back spot.  Phillips carried the ball 91 times and ran for 535 yards.  He is certainly not new to the position.  However, he has the task of taking over for all-state tailback Luke Harper who rushed for 1,651 yards and 25 touchdowns.  He has big shoes to fill.  “Harper had 1600 yards, and I was the closest to him,” told Colin.  “I only had about a fourth of what he had.  I do believe I am capable of meeting the challenge, but I can’t try to do too much.  I am going to have to stick to what I have been doing.  If I try to end up doing too much, then I’ll hurt my team.  Personally, I would like to rush for over 1200 yards for the reason being that if I feel like I can break that total it means I am helping my team win games.” 

             The Bobcats made the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 seasons last year.  As for Hoxie, they struggled to the tune of 2-8 and finished with their worst record in nearly 20 years.  Diamani has one thing on his mind.  “I want to get us back to the playoffs.  To do that you got to keep people from scoring.  I want to have more tackles than I did last year.  I play linebacker on defense.  We want to get back to the playoffs, have a winning record, and get back to playing Hoxie football the way it is supposed to be played.”  In order to meet those expectations, Davis believes he needs to improve from a year ago.  “I definitely have to do better than I did last year on both sides of the ball.  As a senior, I feel like I will find out who I really am as a running back.  My junior year I felt like I had to replace James Johnson who had graduated.  I tried to make plays that ended up not working out.  Now, I realize that if I made just the little plays, they can end up with big results.” 

             Both players were quick to show gratitude to their families for being inspirational in where they are today.  “As a person I’m grateful to my parents, but as an athlete I’m definitely grateful to my brother (Teague Phillips),” proclaimed Phillips.  “I grew up six years younger than him.  He was a very good running back for Walnut Ridge.  He graduated in 2012.  I was always playing against people older and bigger than me.  Even now, it has taught me that I’m never going to be the biggest person on the field.  I’m 5’6, 165 pounds.  Of course, then I was even smaller.  I was a fifth grader playing football with high school kids and my brother.   He has taught me that competitive nature and that just because you are small doesn’t mean you can’t be good at sports.  I really looked up to him in sports.  He has just really made me want to be the best that I can be.”  As for Diamani, he spoke very fondly of his mother.  “She keeps me going,” said Davis.  “She makes sure that I am ready every morning.  Even if she’s off that day, she’s up early making sure that I’m awake to get to football practice.  Sometimes when I am going through drills and feeling a little bit tired, she gives me that second boost of energy.  If I were to one day be a professional athlete or at least to get a college offer, I would love to be able to give her that first car and that first house.  I want to make sure that she doesn’t have to work her entire life.” 

             In terms of being remembered, Colin continued to discuss his family’s ties to Walnut Ridge football.  “I want to be remembered not only as a great athlete but also a good person.  I want to be remembered for just being myself.  My dad was a standout football player and so was my brother.  So, it has always been my last name.  I want people to know my first name.  I’ve always kind of stood in the shadow of my brother.  When I run the football some of the coaches tell me that I run just like Teague, but I don’t want that to be said anymore.  I want it to be said that I run like Colin.  I want people to compare themselves to me like the people before us.  I want to be that guy.”  As for Diamani, he wants to go out as a Hoxie legend.  “I want to be remembered as someone that came into this town as a nobody and embraced the environment.  Not many people talk about small towns like Hoxie and Walnut Ridge, but it is such a great environment.  I came from the big city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  I went from 600,000 to 2,000 people.  I feel very welcome in the town of 2,000.  Some games you look into the crowd and you see folks wearing face paint and some folks wearing number four on their faces.  We do this thing called the “Mustang Walk.”  I’ll go by and people are there to shake your hand and people are pulling me into the stands.  They want me to do better and be better, and they love me.  I just want to be remembered for a long time.” 

             Before I concluded the interview with the gentlemen, we had to discuss the renewed rivalry game between the Bobcats and Mustangs.  Phillips gave a rundown of what he remembers the rivalry being like before the game was halted several years ago.  “It got pretty dangerous at one point.  I can’t remember if Diamani was around yet, but we had a kid get injured and there was a cheap shot.  It was just bad.  There were fights.  Things were getting damaged.  Car windows were being broken out.  It wasn’t good for either town.  It wasn’t something you would want to bring your family to.  It is different now.  In the past, the kids hated each other.  The parents hated each other.  If you were from Walnut Ridge before this time, then you did not hang out with a kid from Hoxie.  Ever since that break, it is kind of different now.  Now, I feel like we are playing more for town pride.  I mean Diamani and I are good friends.  I’m friends with other guys from Hoxie.  On that week, we are just playing for pride.  When Diamani is on the football field, I just see number four.”  Davis added to the discussion about town pride.  “When that Thursday comes and it is the last game of the season, you are fighting for pride.  It is more important than all the other games just slightly.  I mean we are just two miles away, and it is going to be discussed for the next 365 days.  It is important to me because I want to bring the pride back to Hoxie.  I have one more chance to do that, and I’m going to try to do it.”  Phillips went on to discuss how the rivalry is so distinct in comparison to surrounding schools that are considered rivals.  “I think our rivalry is different from others when you compare them to the Jonesboro schools.  Jonesboro is a big town of like 76,000 I think.  I mean you can avoid folks from other schools.  In Walnut Ridge, you cannot do that.  You are going to run into people from Hoxie.  I think that has a lot to do with why the rivalry got as bad as it was.  You can’t physically avoid folks from the other town.  You are going to see people that you are going to play.  I think especially the week leading up to the game, things just seem to get testy.  You have to socialize with the person you are supposed to be going to war with on that Thursday.  It just builds it up.”

             The season has yet to start, but you can write it down that they both are looking forward to competing against each other one last time.  That game will be played on November 2^nd at Walnut Ridge as Hoxie looks to avenge the 44-0 blowout loss they suffered to the Bobcats from a year ago.  As for Diamani and Colin, they look to remain friends except for maybe one night out of the year.