s a result of a one-sided 73-39 Gosnell Pirates victory over 4A-3 conference opponent Harrisburg Hornets in the Northeast Arkansas (NEA) Invitational Monday, a 30-plus-year drought will come to an end tonight as crosstown opponents (the Blytheville Chickasaws and the Pirates) will finally square off against each other on the court. After the game Monday, I asked Chickasaw Athletic Director David Hixson when was the last time the two teams had played each other in any sport and he responded that the teams haven’t met in any sport besides baseball and softball (and an exhibition football game) in his 35 years with the Blytheville School District. Growing up at Armorel, we always wanted to play local teams and we played Rivercrest in baseball and played Cooter (Mo.) once, but the old crosstown rivalries have seemed to disappear. Yes, Blytheville and Gosnell play Osceola and Rivercrest, and then Gosnell and Armorel play Rivercrest, Osceola and Manila. But why we have to wait over 30 years to see a matchup between Gosnell and Blytheville I just do not know. Some will say, “It’s because things get crazy at those games.” That is certainly true. The Blytheville/Osceola game did get crazy at the end but that’s sports. We shouldn’t stop having games because a fight might break out or whatever. Fans will be fans; we can’t really stop them from being ridiculous. Also this isn’t Arkansas vs. Arkansas State, no one will loose respect for a team or loose recruits. JUST PLAY. I started to write this column back in the middle of football season when the Pirates coaches told me to get Armorel to play a baseball game this season…and just to let everyone know, there now is a game scheduled for the Tigers to play the Pirates in baseball next season! Then a couple of weeks ago at a Rotary Club meeting, Chickasaws head coach McKenzie Pierce, who was their guest speaker, took a jab at the Pirates about not wanting to play the Chicks regularly. Well with the Pirates victory against the Hornets, the two basketball programs will finally face off in the elite eight of the NEA Invitational at 8:30 tonight. After finding out the news on Tuesday that they will be playing each other, Pierce commented, “I’m not sure why it takes the NEA tournament for us to have to play. I know we would like to make that a regular game and hopefully this will make it a pathway to having them on the schedule regularly…they’re a good team. It’s a weird thing, is it a rivalry game? I don’t know. When was the last time we’ve played them? But certainly kids are familiar with each other and probably have grown up with each other and all that. So from that standpoint it’ll be a fun game. But at the end of the day it’s just another game. It’s a tournament win or go home.” Pirates head coach Kirk Glintborg is familiar to the Blytheville School District after being an assistant football coach under Ben Fisher’s Chicks for two season [2015 and 2016] before he returned to GHS to fill the head coaching job for the boy’s basketball program. “They’re going to be well coached. They’re going to be disciplined. They’re going to pressure the basketball. They’re going to be good at what they do,” said Glintborg. “ [Chickasaws head coach McKenzie Pierce] has done a great job. Those kids are going to be ready to play us and I can promise you that. We are going to be in for a battle and [it will] be a good game for us because we got some really good teams in our conference and we need to play that type of competition. They will definitely help us. We’ve just got to be ready to go out there and compete.” Pierce added, “Well I know they’re well coached; I know [Gosnell Pirates head coach Kirk Glintborg] and his background and knowledge of basketball,” Pierce explained. “[Brandon] Partee is a really good player and we will probably box and one him and see what the rest of them can do.” The Chickasaws will come into tonight’s matchup with a 5-5 overall record, sitting 2-2 in their 5A/6A blended conference; the Pirates will bring a 5-5 overall record and are 1-3 in their 3A/4A blended conference. Anyway, Mississippi County schools, lets not keep local teams apart anymore - lets play regularly…in all sports, even if it’s a local tournament or football exhibition game.