Another Searcy stunner or the new standard?

Another Searcy stunner or the new standard?

It started shortly after the finale of the annual Marion-West Memphis tilt had concluded.

The dust hadn’t yet cleared from the 22-10 Blue Devil win, and everyone was already chalking up a second straight win, this one coming at Hamilton-Shultz Field against the Searcy Lions.

The fallout from that game was felt even quicker.

For some reason, West Memphis fans still think of the Lions as a pushover, or a cupcake.

They readily acknowledge the fact that Searcy has owned the series of late (5 straight wins after claiming a 27-20 last week), but still approach the game with the confidence of a red-hot shooter, ready to get a big bucket.

Yet, as sure as the sun rises, Searcy had claimed another win.

Don’t get me wrong, three of those games were decided by one point and could have easily went either way. That fact isn’t lost on me.

But the fact that it’s been Searcy making all the big plays down the stretch is pretty telling, right?

I understand that Searcy isn’t known as a football power across the state, and that’s fine.

I also realize how bad the Lions were in football once upon a time.

However, West Memphis isn’t what it used to be either. Gone are the days of a nearly decade-long conference title run.

Gone are the annual trips to War Memorial Stadium to compete for state titles.

It seems as though the two schools are on a collision course and have settled on equal footing where one or two plays will almost always decide their games.

Don’t believe me? Starting in 2012 and stopping at last week’s game, Searcy is 2426 over the past four-and-ahalf seasons. West Memphis over the same span? 22-26.

That’s no small sample size. I mean, the last time West Memphis beat Searcy, Bobby Petrino was leading the Razorbacks to an 11-2 record and a Cotton Bowl win.

A look at the conference records over the same time may also surprise.

Searcy in the league from 2012 until this very moment? A solid 15-15 in conference play.

West Memphis? 13-17.

So maybe you’re thinking that the transition that West Memphis went through from Lanny Dauksch to Billy Elmore is the reason for some of this slippage prior to the 2014 season.

But then you remember that Searcy made head coaching changes following the 2012 and 2014 seasons, making for three head coaches combining to claim wins over West Memphis during the streak. So that seems less likely.

I also believe that playing Searcy the week after playing Marion has taken a toll on West Memphis.

I just don’t think it’s possible to get sky-high for two weeks in a row, at least on an emotional level at the high school level and be as sharp as you need to be to win a rivalry game and then turn around and beat a team that’s on equal footing as you the following week.

I know some West Memphis fans will Text the Times and tell me that West Memphis-Marion isn’t even a rivalry game, but the fact that you’re even texting in the first place should confirm my previous claim. Think about it: You’re West Memphis and you get ready to play Marion. You think about it all week. You’re rowdy on the short bus trip to Patriot Stadium. You bang on the walls of the hotbox and play a good game of football and end up beating Marion.

What do you do for an encore? How do you possibly follow that up?

Don’t get me wrong, I believe that the West Memphis coaches are taking the game plenty seriously. I can’t speak for their preparation or any of the conversations in practice, this is just more of a deeper look at the fan’s perspective of Searcy as a cupcake rather than Searcy, a legitimate equal of West Memphis on the gridiron.

Now, we can argue all day about whether Searcy should be an equal of West Memphis, especially considering the tradition of the Blue Devils and its reputation across the state, but it’s the reality at this particular moment.

The Power Poll after Week 5 : 1.) Earle Bulldogs (3-2 overall, 2-0 3-2A) Host Rector on Friday 2.) West Memphis Blue Devils (3-2 overall, 1-1 6AEast) Host Little Rock Hall 3.) Marion Patriots (2-3 overall, 1-1 6A-East) At Searcy 4.) West Memphis Christian Black Knights (16 overall, 1-2 district) At Rossville Christian.

Chuck’’s Corrnerr

By Chuck Livingston