The City Wire launches The Varsity Wire

The City Wire is proud to launch The Varsity Wire, a new section of the web publication devoted to coverage of high school teams in the Fort Smith region.

High school football is a religion in many parts of the country. You’re more likely to get into a heated discussion about the best area team than if you were to debate religion. This focus — fixation, in some circles — on high school football is why area media outlets give it so much attention.

Not wanting to entirely duplicate the high school football coverage other area media outlets, The City Wire partnered with Aric Mitchell to produce The Varsity Wire, with Arvest Bank signing on as the Presenting Sponsor.

“Aric has a great passion for not only the game, but the history, personalities and community impact of high school football,” said Tom Kirkham, co-owner and publisher of The City Wire. “To have Aric on board and the great support of Arvest gave us the confidence to expand our niche.”

Other sponsors include Guardian Payment Systems, HealthPointe Insurance Services and Rainwater’s Clothing.

Mitchell played many years ago as a defensive end for the Booneville Bearcats, and has never lost the passion for the sport at the high school level.

“Every Friday night, I comb the Internet looking for scores in an effort to keep up with my alma mater is. That’s in spite of no longer having any dogs in the hunt — no brothers, no nephews,” Mitchell explained. “I don’t know any of them personally anymore. Nevertheless, I pull for them and it still kind of stings when they lose.”

Mitchell said The Varsity Wire is an attempt to capture the tradition and culture of the sport that goes beyond just reporting the weekly box scores. And he also says the fans can have a big say in the direction of the new feature.

“With The Varsity Wire, you are going to find spotlights on players and teams of the past. The traditions that make us who we are. The greatest moments in River Valley football. And just all things pertaining to the culture of high school sports. Picks, player spotlights, and Where-are-they-now features will also be welcome here, so any help we can get from the existing fan base of these schools will go a long way in making this site come alive,” Mitchell said.

Following is an explanation of the planned features within The Varsity Wire. (And see the list at end of story for the teams covered in the initial rollout of The Varsity Wire.)

• Game Day
The Game Day section spotlights the important upcoming games, and player and coach game-day traditions. The section will include predictions on the upcoming games.

“Game day Traditions” will showcase the personalities under the helmets in a lighter side piece that focuses on traditions (and superstitions), which have supposedly driven a team to victory. (Who can forget Northside’s Dale Moore and that infamous bald head that Grizzly players would rub each week for good luck?)

• Spotlights & Quick Hits
What have been a River Valley football program’s greatest games? What did it mean for the program’s season as well as its future? These topics are covered in the “Greatest Hits” feature planned for every two weeks.

How well does a team really know its heroes? Every other week, The Varsity Wire also takes a look at notable players in many of the River Valley programs. From the current Greenwood quarterback to that top college prospect from Southside, we focus on student athletes and what drives them to succeed on and off the field.

• Back in the Day
The “Unforgotten” feature remembers the ghosts of a program’s past. Players, who are no longer with us get another chance to shine, so present fans and teams alike will never forget the contributions they made. A monthly feature to start, but more frequent as The Varsity Wire picks up steam.

“Where are they now?” focuses on the players, the coaches, and the program supporters who are still with us, cheering on their respective alma mater each week. This series is planned every two weeks to start.

This section will also include great moments in the River Valley’s most famous rivalries. “Battle of Rogers Avenue,” the “Top Dog” matchup between Alma and Greenwood, and the “Highway 22 Showdown” between Lavaca and Charleston — it’s all here in “Rivalry Road,” which allows readers to relive the culture, the history and the games themselves every each week.

• Varsity Trivia
Short features will be run on a near daily basis, and will ask questions, such as, “In a survey among 1978 Northside seniors, what was the favorite local pastime?” Or “what was the No. 1 movie among high school seniors in 1983?” Or “who was the No. 1 most admired celebrity for the Class of ’89?”

Also every two weeks, “The Varsity 5” steps back in time to answer the question: Who really was the best? With a wide selection of schools, some with more than nine decades of superstars and traditions, The Varsity Wire answers questions, such as “Who was Northside’s greatest quarterback of all time?,” “Which 5 Booneville Bearcats teams were the program’s best?,” and “Who were Southside’s 5 greatest coaches?”

What made these standouts so special? Agree or disagree, this feature provides you with some answers and plenty of fodder for the area sports’ enthusiasts to debate.

ABOUT THE CITY WIRE
The City Wire, a web publication focused on providing indepth business, political and cultural coverage of the Fort Smith region and Arkansas, launched in November 2008 and has been viewed by almost 600,000 people. The City Wire originally partnered with Little Rock-based Talk Business (www.talkbusiness.net), and has since established content partnership agreements with KFSM 5 News and KUAF Ozarks at Large (91.3 FM).

TEAM COVERAGE
4-2A
Danville Little Johns
Decatur Bulldogs
Hackett Hornets
Hartford Hustlers
Johnson County Westside Rebels
Magazine Rattlers
Mountainburg Dragons
Union Christian Eagles
Western Yell County Wolverines

4-3A
Charleston Tigers
Lavaca Golden Arrows
Mansfield Tigers
Paris Eagles

1-4A
Ozark Hillbillies

4-4A
Booneville Bearcats
Clarksville Panthers
Subiaco Trojans
Waldron Bulldogs

5A West
Alma Airedales
Greenwood Bulldogs

6A/7A Central
Van Buren Pointers

7A West
FS Northside Grizzlies
FS Southside Rebels