Note to Our Readers: The following story was sourced in its entirety from Mr. Glenn Parrish, Director of Communications, Booneville School District. Mr. Parrish is a RNN Sports contributor and we thank him for bringing this story to our readers.
Booneville vs Charleston needs little introduction. Many had it circled as a game of the year, at least on the 3A level months ago.
It’s finally here. Or at least it will be Friday night at 7 p.m. at Booneville’s Bearcat Stadium.
It has about all you could probably want on a small town Friday night in the fall.
The Tigers are the defending Conference 3A-1 champions, but Booneville was likewise a conference champion last year, though it came as a Conference 3A-4 member.
Charleston has won back-to-back conference titles while Booneville has won a title its last five years.
These teams last squared off when they were both 3A-1 members in 2019, a game the Bearcats won 21-7 at Alumni Field in Charleston. That gave Booneville a 48-12-2 edge in the series.
Both the Bearcats and Tigers played tough non-conference slates to gear up for league play with both beating Class 4A Ozark on consecutive weeks, and both falling to Class 4A powers on the same night.
Doc Crowley and Ricky May, the head coaches in the game are no strangers to one another as they worked together in Booneville for many years.
Crowley and May are also no strangers to the opposing fan bases as Crowley is a Charleston alum and May is a Bearcat alum who had two sons go through the program.
May is so respected around Booneville his track teams will often use the Bearcat Stadium track to prepare for meets.
Regardless of the outcome Friday both teams have been looked at as title contenders.
Between them the Bearcats and Tigers have nine state titles and even won titles in the same year in 2013 with the Bearcats winning 4A and Charleston 3A.
