Hall of Fame coaches add flair to traditional Southeast Arkansas high school football rivalry

Kevin Kelley and Daryl Patton shine new light on Highway 270 Classic

White Hall and Sheridan will meet in the Highway 270 Classic on Friday night. / Photo by Nate Olson

A traditional unsung Arkansas high school football rivalry might enjoy some enhanced visibility now.

The Highway 270 Classic got spicier when Sheridan hired legendary former Pulaski Academy head coach Kevin Kelley and neighboring White Hall added Daryl Patton, who is known for a successful tenure at Fayetteville.

The two small Southeastern Arkansas towns that are separated by 29 miles on Highway 270. The Highway 270 Classic began in 1964 and White Hall owns a 31-22-3 advantage in the series and has also won the past four meetings between the rivals. Coaches and members from both teams met with the media Tuesday to promote the game which kicks off Friday night at 7 at Sheridan.

“This was one of the first games people told me about was the White Hall game,” said Kelley, who won nine titles in 18 seasons at PA. “I wasn’t really aware that this was a big rivalry. I have followed Sheridan, and we have been in White Hall’s conference when I coached before, and I wasn’t aware of that. I had some game film of them, but it didn’t enter my mind, but then people started talking about it. Then I realized how big of a deal it is. Being here [at the press conference] and seeing it all put together and hearing out kids talk; I see how big it is.”

Patton, who won four state titles at Fayetteville, said he’s seen early how much the White Hall community cares about this rivalry game.

“They’re with me win or tie, no losses,” Patton said with a laugh. “It is a big game that we circle on our schedule. I know it is for Sheridan as well. That is what makes high school football so great. We’ve got something we are playing for right off the bat. The community is supporting us 1,000%. If we go to them and ask for something, they are jumping right in.”

The two coaches aren’t strangers to big games and rivalries, but playing a game of this magnitude in the opener is a challenge.

“The good thing about having a Week 10 rival is if you are having a bad year, and you are not going to make the playoffs – you still have Week 10 to kind of play for to keep those kids intact,” Patton said. “With us, and Sheridan, too, you it has had a chance to build up all spring and summer into fall camp. Our kids are locked in tune with what we want to do, and I am sure Sheridan is, too. It is going to be a fun game and atmosphere. The bands are practicing, and the cheer and dance are trying to outdo each other. It is a big deal for bragging rights.”

Kelley admits his stomach will be churning as the pressure mounts closer to game time Friday night.

“There is a tremendous amount of pressure I feel from within the town,” Kelley said. “The expecations are high because I have won some games in the past, so I feel a ton of pressure. To make it worse, I put more pressure on myself than anyone else does or the town could, and I feel a lot of pressure. Add that to mine, and I am going to have some sleepless nights, and I’m going to be nervous and sick to my stomach before the game Friday night because the first impression is …. Fans are going to keep coming to our games or maybe not. My job is to have thease guys out here performing and if I don’t do that, I haven’t done my job so the first impression here is humongous.”

Kelley said his preference would be not to play a rivalry game Week 0, but it has been a motivation for his team during the dog days of fall camp. He said his players were also more attentive this week knowing it was game week.

“We definitely want to make a good first impression,” Patton said. “There will be a winner, and there will be a loser. The more games you play like this the better you are going to become. We want our kids used to playing in big games. Our goal is to get to the 5A state championship and win it one day. Playing in a game like this off the bat with a big crowd and hostile crowd, we will find out what we are made of really quick.”

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Daryl Patton was the head coach at his alma mater in 2000 when the Benton/Bryant rivalry added the Salt Bowl. He sees this game growing into the kind of spectacle over time thanks to he and Kelley.

“That was my whole thing when I talked to Kevin about doing this,” Patton said. “It may not be the biggest thing in three or four or five years, but if this thing keeps going like I hope it does, 20 years from now, it could be another Salt Bowl. I was at Bryant when we started the Salt Bowl in 2000. We were just having a good high school crowd, but once we started dong the Salt Bowl and the press conferences and putting a lot of light on it, that thing has really taken off. That is what we hope happens here. We want to promote this thing and make it a big deal and something that the kids from both schools can remember for a long time.”

Kelley just hopes to keep the rivalry friendly after being involved in bitter ones.

“I just want to see it be a healthy rivalry,” he said. “You see band ones where people are fighting and mad, I want it to be healthy. You go at it on the field, and they respect you because football is hard, and if you beat us you deserve it, and if we beat you, we played a little harder and the ball bounced our way. I am excited about it and glad to learn of a new rivalry.”

On the field, Patton said his team has dealt with a string of injuries, but they should be back to full strength Friday night.

Kelley revealed at the press conference that returning starting QB Brady Dillon has moved to linebacker. Junior Dax McMellon is the new Yellowjackets starting QB.

“Brady is a tough kid, and we can still use him some at quarterback, but he can play linebacker,” he said. “So, I can use him at quarterback some and linebacker to start. He’s a ferocious kid, and he is going to hit you when he tackles you. If I start him at quarterback, then we are losing a player. Dax does some things in the passing game better and runs things in the offense better. Brady buys time a little bit better. At the same time, we are getting a defensive starter out of it. I can have a two-for-one or not. It works out better for our team right now.”

--Nate Olson I nate@scorebooklive.com I @ndosports