Ouachita Stories

The annual Battle of the Ravine Week showdown between the Ouachita Baptist University Tigers and the Henderson State University Reddies is officially under way, culminating with Saturday’s 1 p.m. kickoff at A.U. Williams Field.

“Although this game will not affect Ouachita’s conference standings, there is pride, history and tradition on the line,” said Dr. Kevin Motl, faculty sponsor of Tiger Nation. “Winning would be very good for Ouachita’s regional rankings and might give us the momentum we need to get us into post-season play.”

This will be a tie-breaking game, with the rivalry currently standing at 39-39-6. Coach Todd Knight said the football team has been having intense, focused practices to prepare for the big game. “We are looking forward to a great game,” he emphasized.

There have been a few changes in this year’s Battle of the Ravine Week activities, most notably a changing of the guard in front of the Ouachita Tiger statue. This year, instead of the responsibility of guarding the Tiger resting solely on the shoulders of the Rho Sigma men’s social club, each class has been assigned a night to protect the Tiger from Monday to Thursday. Friday night the Rho Sigmas along with the rest of the student body will be responsible for the Tiger’s protection.

Motl explained the reason behind the change, saying, “We want more people to get involved in the week and we want to promote class identity. By asking each class to pull together for a night, we hope to create more of a community feel. We want everyone, not just the social clubs, to participate. We have a vision of dozens, if not hundreds, of students out in Grant Plaza participating in the protection of the Tiger.”

In addition to guarding the Tiger, the social clubs will be holding different events throughout the week.

Monday, the men of Eta Alpha Omega and Beta Beta hosted a Monday night football viewing and the class of 2013 was on Tiger guard duty.

Tuesday, the women of EEE and Chi Delta will host a flag football game between the students and faculty members at 6 p.m. on the Student Village green. The class of 2014 will take their turn watching over the Tiger.

Wednesday evening will kick off with dinner by Sodexo and inflatables in Grant Plaza. A live broadcast by KTHV-11 highlighting Battle of the Ravine activities will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Clark County Courthouse. Next, the men of Kappa Chi will host a car bash at 8 p.m. and the women of Chi Rho Phi will provide refreshments. The security of the Tiger will rest of the shoulders of the class of 2015.

The events on Thursday evening will begin with a torchlight parade at 6:30 p.m. from the Tiger to the Battle of the Ravine bonfire and pep rally, hosted by the men of Rho Sigma. Refuge will be held at Second Baptist Church at 9 p.m. and the women of Tri Chi will serve hot chocolate and s’mores at 10 p.m. The class of 2012 will protect the Tiger throughout the night.

Friday morning from 5 to 7 a.m., KATV-7 will broadcast a morning pep rally-style event for its Daybreak show on the HSU intramural fields. The Rally on the Ravine carnival will be held in the same location from 3 to 7 p.m. After the carnival, students can sing karaoke with the women of Chi Delta at 7 p.m. and Campus Activities Board will show a movie at 10 p.m. Rho Sigma will begin their traditional all-night bell ring at 5 p.m. on Friday, and will ring the bell every hour on the hour until kickoff. The Red Shirts, along with the rest of the student body, will guard the Tiger Friday night.

Saturday, the day of the big showdown, Rally on the Ravine events will begin at the Henderson intramural field at 9 a.m., with the Tiger Tailgate Competition starting at 11 a.m. The annual Battle of the Ravine football game between the Tigers and the Reddies will kick off at A.U. Williams Field at 1 p.m.

By Nicci Fillinger