Adios, Javelinas; Hello, Boll Weevils!

Today's Ada Evening News reports that the sports teams of East Central and two of her Oklahoma sister schools (Southwestern Oklahoma State--the Bulldogs Weatherford and Southeastern--the Savage Storm from Durant) are trading in their Lone Star Conference badges to join an as-yet-unnamed conference with six Arkansas schools, including: the University of Arkansas at Monticello (the Boll Weevils--see image at left), Arkansas Tech (the Wonderboys from Russellville), Harding (the Church of Christ Bisons from Searcy), Henderson State (the Reddies from Arkadelphia), Ouachita Baptist (the Southern Baptist Tigers from Arkadelphia), and Southern Arkansas (the Muleriders from Magnolia). All these Arkansas schools were formerly members of the Gulf South Conference along with teams from Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, George and Florida.

We will, then, be leaving behind Abilene Christian (the Wildcats), Angelo State (the Rams), Midwestern State (the Mustangs of Wichita Falls), Tarleton State (the Texans from Stephenville), Texas A&M-Commerce (the Lions), Texas A&M—Kingsville (the Javelinas--formerly the Hoggies), West Texas A&M (the Buffalos from Canyon), Cameron (the Aggies of Lawton, OK), Northeastern (the Riverhawks from Tahlequah, OK), and Central Oklahoma (the Bronchos of Edmond, OK) a bunch that has collectively beaten up the Tigers on the football field in recent years (we were winless last year).

You must say this for East Central's new as-yet-unnamed conference: our mascot names (Boll Weevils, Wonderboys, Reddies, Muleriders, the Savage Storm) are far more interesting than those of most larger football conferences as well as those of the Lone Star (with apologies to the Javelinas and the Riverhawks).