April 2, 2012

Luke Matheson
ArkansasVarsity.com Publisher

Coach Brad Bolding and his North Little Rock Charging Wildcats will travel to Texas for a week two match-up with the Class 5-A powerhouse Longview Lobos.

The game comes after North Little Rock failed to find an in-state opponent for week two, and after Longview's game against Monterrey (Mexico) Tech fell through the cracks.

The game will take place September 7th at Lobo Stadium in Longview.

"We just struggled to find an opponent for week two," said North Little Rock head coach Brad Bolding. "I think we have a chance to have a pretty good team this year, and I think people knew that."

"We also had the redistricting this year which had everyone jockeying for games," Bolding added. "This is just going to be a one-year deal. We was going to have the game at our stadium, but they flashed a lot of money in front of us, so we are going to go down there."

In addition to failing to find an in-state opponent, Bolding cited other reason's for taking the game.

"I'm big on playing big non-conference games," said Bolding. "Coach Barry Lunney had a lot of success playing those kind of games when he was at Ft. Smith Southside, and now I believe he is going to play and out-of-state team this year."

"Games like this can be good for your team as long as you come out of them healthy and without any injuries." added Bolding.

In addition to needing a quality opponent, Bolding may have had other reason's for scheduling such a talented team like the Lobos.

"I just think it is good for Arkansas high school football to play out-of-state teams," Bolding added. "I know Shiloh Christian, Bentonville, and several other teams have been able to showcase their talent and pick up a few wins against some quality teams who are nationally recognized."

While everything worked out for North Little Rock in regards to getting this game, Bolding said it was another coach who helped to seal the deal.

"Coach Shane Patrick at Springdale helped to make this happen," said Bolding. "I sent out a mass text message to several coaches looking for a game, and he helped to get things going from there."

Bolding feels like his team has a good chance to do something special this year due to the talent his team will feature.

"Obviously we have (Alabama commit) Altee Tenpenny," said Bolding. "And we have several other guys with a lot of talent who have done really well at some national combines. If we can get that to work for us on the field, this year could be special for us."

The Charging Wildcats will open up against Class 6-A powerhouse Lake Hamilton before heading to Texas to take on the Lobos.

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