Since 1909, the rivalry of the twin cities has been a huge part of the football season. From stealing mascots to frying bacon and painting the pit, the students of Texas and Arkansas High School have been fighting over which state does it better. The competition and traditions that the Texas vs. Arkansas game have been carried on for so long have surprisingly stayed strong over the years.

September 5, 2014, marks the 100th game of the 105-year ritual. The rivalry all began because of the kidnapping of mascots, but that is no longer a part of the traditions. Though many customs have continued, several changes have been made throughout time.

“Students used to drive up and down Stateline throwing eggs,” teacher Susan Waldrep said. “Boys would camp out all week to guard a tiger marquee we had in the past. There were events every night and no one’s parents got mad because if you got egged it was all part of the fun.”

While some of these traditions have been taken away, many of them still continue today. A few of these include painting the pit, bacon fry, spirit days and the canned food drive competition. These activities all occur within the school, but conflicts between Texas and Arkansas High stretch beyond Richmond Road.

“There have been some issues at the fairgrounds and on Stateline Avenue after school hours where students have gotten carried away in the spirit of the game,” assistant principal Julius Anderson said. “Because of that, the schools have brought attention to the students that if anything happens, they could be looking at some punishments. The two cities have beefed up police forces on Stateline and anything that happens that they think might be related to the game is turned over to the particular schools for us to deal with as well.”

Though Texas High has had a winning streak for many years, prior to that, most games were neck and neck. From 1909 to 2014, five games were not played, seven were tied, 31 were Razorback victories and 62 were Tiger victories.

“The fact that it has been a huge competition for so many years keeps the intensity up,” senior football player Aaron Sesler said. “No matter the odds, we always try our hardest.”