There's plenty of games throughout the state Friday to excite fans of high school football.

There are border wars where teams from Arkansas will test their skills against highly-regarded programs from Texas and Oklahoma. There's also games involving former conference rivals who'll compete at different levels this year because of reclassification. But if you want to experience the true essence of Arkansas High School football there's no better place to be Friday than Ozark at Booneville for a rivalry that began in 1924.

That's 100 years ago for those like me who can't add without a calculator.

Is there a more colorful mascot for a sports team from Arkansas than the Ozark Hillbillies?

The answer is no, and it's not close since the Winslow Squirrels and Lake City Catfish no longer exist.

Is there a small-school football program in Arkansas that's had more sustained success the last 40 years than Booneville, which won the first of its five state championships in 1986?

The answer is no, and I'm not forgetting Barton or the private schools that have emerged.

I've covered a handful of games at Booneville over the years and have always enjoyed the experience. The quality of play on the field is top-notch and the passion of the fans is real. These rivalry games, especially, mean everything to them.

Want to shut up the loud mouth you work with who lives in the next town over? Beat his team in football first, then do it again in other sports.

Ozark and Booneville each opened the season with wins. Ozark beat Clarksville 31-13, while Booneville held off Poteau, Okla., 14-10. Both teams are primarily run teams with dynamic players on both sides of the ball.

Booneville is the defending state champion in Class 3A and the Bearcats own a four-game winning streak over Ozark. That number will move to five when the night is complete.

RICK'S PICK Booneville

(Other games involving teams from our coverage area. The picks are capitalized).

CLASS 7A

Bentonville at CONWAY

CABOT at Bentonville West

FARMINGTON at Springdale Har-Ber

FAYETTEVILLE at Broken Arrow, Okla.

Fort Smith Northside at GREENWOOD

MUSKOGEE, OKLA. at Rogers

Springdale at VAN BUREN

CARL JUNCTION (MO.) at Rogers Heritage

CLASS 6A

ALMA at Siloam Springs

SHILOH CHRISTIAN at Little Rock Christian

CLASS 5A

Mountain Home at HARRISON

PEA RIDGE at Gentry

CLASS 4A

Tahlequah (Okla.) Sequoyah at PRAIRIE GROVE

Dardanelle at ELKINS

GRAVETTE at Jay, Okla.

Mountain View at BERRYVILLE

PARIS at Lavaca

Waldron at MANSFIELD

WEST FORK at Green Forest

Westville, Okla. at LINCOLN

CLASS 3A

CEDARVILLE at Mountainburg

CHARLESTON at Pottsville

CLASS 2A

DANVILLE at Johnson County Westside

LAST WEEK 15-7 (68 %)