The Battle of Rogers Avenue, August 29, 2025, took place at Jim Rowland Stadium, Southside High School, Fort Smith, AR. This was the first game of the season for both the Southside Mavericks and rival Northside Grizzlies.
Student Council President, Isaiah Marshall, and Principal, Jeff Prewitt, provided a large amount of energy during the home pep rally. With the help of the Southside Maverick Band, Southside Cheer teams, Maverick Stars, and the Southern Belles, it was clear that students were already hyped up for the anticipated rivalry. When pre-game began, both Northside and Southside cheer and dance teams did their respective routines. Southside and Northside bands hit the stands, and a few minutes later, they began playing their Alma Matters.
As fans continued to fill the stands, everyone was looking up to the sky as three paratroopers prepared to land mid-field – one carrying the game ball, one with a Southside flag strapped to his back, and last, but certainly not least, the man with the American Flag. Northside won the coin toss, and they elected to receive the kickoff. The lights dimmed as the teams rushed out of their inflatable helmets onto the field, their respective bands playing their fight songs. The Mavericks were prepared to do whatever it took to pull off the three-peat.
The opening kickoff began, and the Grizzlies got within good field position before a fumble ended their first drive. The Mavericks also had a solid first drive, but the team lost some momentum, resulting in a punt. Despite this, the defense held strong and forced Northside to punt the ball back to Southside. It was on this drive that Senior quarterback, Blake Forsgen, broke out for a 42-yard rush all the way down to the 1-yard line. Terell Warren, a Freshman running back, managed to punch it in from the one-yard line, and the Mavericks went up 7-0 after a successful point-after touchdown.
The Mavericks Head Football Coach, Kim Dameron, highlighted the importance of the run-oriented play-style, saying, “We always want to be able to run the ball with the quarterback as well as running backs and even wide receivers. Establishing the run is critical to our overall success as an offense.”
With time left in the 1st quarter, the Grizzlies had another unsuccessful drive. The Mavericks, on the other hand, managed to get within field goal range. Senior kicker, Rodrigo Hernandez, kicked it through the uprights from the 27-yard line to make it a 10-0 lead over the Grizzlies. The quarter came to a close, and both defenses held strong throughout the entire 2nd quarter. The Mavericks managed to score another field goal from the 30-yard line to take a 13-0 lead going into halftime.
Head Southside Maverick Band Director, Ralph Brody Jr., provided his comments on the band’s halftime performance, saying, “This was, without a doubt, our best ‘First Game’ performance in my time here at Southside. We posted a video of the performance to our Maverick Band Facebook page, and it has nearly 10,000 views as of Tuesday afternoon (September 9). Our senior class is so special to us. They endured lots of change and challenges, but have hung in there and maintained their love and devotion to the Southside Band. It’s a joy to teach students like that.”
The third quarter was nothing short of a lot of defensive-oriented play. Heavy defensive pressure made things hard on both quarterbacks, and Forsgren and Jackson threw a lot of incompletions. Despite this, the Mavericks were able to turn things around in the 4th. Malachi Warren, a senior running back, finished off a successful drive by punching it into the end zone from the 7-yard line with 10:35 left in the quarter, and a successful point after touchdown brought the lead up to 20. After the defense quickly shut down the Grizzlies, the Mavericks went on to score another touchdown off a 54-yard breakaway run by M. Warren with 9:29 left in the quarter, and the made point after touchdown brought the score to 27. The Grizzlies managed to score quickly on the next possession after a successful drive, capped off by a 2-yard rush from Warren Bijou, who is a senior this year. The Grizzlies forced the Mavericks to punt the ball, but their drive came up short after junior quarterback Drew Jackson threw an interception. The Mavericks were able to run out the clock and take a 27-7 victory over the Grizzlies.
The Mavericks’ defensive coordinator, Coach Presley, provided his input on the team’s defensive play, stating, “Going into the game, the Maverick defense put a strong focus on limiting Northside’s ability to run after the catch. They placed 3 safeties on the field and kept the receivers in front of them. Good tackling and the ability to create turnovers turned out to be a major key to victory.”
This win marked a successful journey in the lives of many seniors on the Southside Varsity Football team. The Mavericks completed the 3-peat, winning the last three years against the Grizzlies in the Battle of Rogers Avenue. With a lot of talent on each team graduating at the end of this school year, there could be some uncertainty going into next year’s rivalry match-up. The one thing for certain is that no matter the outcome, the rivalry between the Southside Mavericks and the Northside Grizzlies should continue to be a top 50 high school rivalry across the nation for many years to come.