SEVEN MILES AIN’T THAT FAR | Unbeatens Arp, Troup meet tonight to open district slate

It’s seven miles from Arp High School to Troup High School.

Or if you prefer, it’s seven miles from Troup High School to Arp High School.

That’s the origin, of course, of the “Seven-Mile Rivalry” name.

Folks in both communities have been waging that rivalry for decades upon decades. They’re both the Tigers. They have similar colors. They’re in the same district.

And right now, on Friday morning, Sept. 26, 2025, football teams at both Troup and Arp — or Arp and Troup — are undefeated.

That’ll change tonight, sometime between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., as the two rivals meet again, this time in Troup, in the District 11-3A, Division II opener for both programs.

Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m.

In a game that has even garnered attention from Dave Campbell’s Texas Football this week, ninth-ranked Troup, coached by Sam Wells, faces Arp, coached by Wes Schminkey. Both are 4-0, both having won all of their games convincingly, both knowing that there is way more than pride on the line this time.

But that pride thing? It’s still there.

Let’s look at a few numbers.

Arp has beaten Harleton, Garrison (who was ranked No. 3 in the state at the time), Mineola and Sabine, and hasn’t scored less than 35 points in a game all season. The Tigers shut out Harleton, 49-0, to open the season (on the road), then blasted third-ranked Garrison, 44-9, in Arp. They left Mineola with a 35-8 win on Sept. 12, then shut out Sabine, 61-0, a week ago at homecoming.

The Tigers don’t really throw the ball that much: they have 314 passing yards all season, an average of only 78 per game. But they do run it well (1,047 rush yards), and play great defense, which has been a winning formula for a lot of football teams throughout the years. Arp averages 261 rush yards a game, with 19 touchdowns on the ground (three passing TDs).

Ty Langley and Zane Borque have shared time at quarterback. Langley has 189 passing yards on 11-of-17 completions, two touchdown passes and an interception, and Borque is 7-of-13 for 125 yards and a touchdown.

It’s close, but Josh Smith, who had 1,500 yards a year ago, leads the team in rushing with 260 yards on 32 carries, and he has five touchdowns. Casen Burgins, a senior, has 238 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries (10.8 a carry). Borque has 219 yards and seven TDs on 26 carries; and Tanner Hunt, just a freshman, has 195 yards and two scores on 21 carries. It really is a team effort in the running game for Arp.

Smith also leads the team with 34 tackles on defense. Arp has 25 tackles for loss, and Zyon Washington and Chrisden Ellis each have four.

The Tigers have four sacks, by four different players (Washington, Hunter Orpineda, Hunt and Tripp Durrett, and Langley, a defensive back as well, has four interceptions this year. The Tigers have seven interceptions and seven fumble recoveries.

Wells’ Tigers are also undefeated, having absolutely slammed Shelbyville in Shelbyville in week one, 56-14. They held off Edgewood, 47-35, blasted Harleton, 62-0, and then beat Rusk, 20-3, a week ago.

Troup’s offense throws the ball more than Arp: Troup’s Tigers have 788 passing yards. They also have 882 rushing yards.

Quarterback Josh Childress is in his first season as a starter, and is 41-of-63 for 788 yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Chad Hollie has 16 catches to lead the team, and 194 yards, and two touchdowns. D. Hollie has 13, and leads the team in yards (323) and receiving TDs (3).

Brett Wells leads the Tigers in rushing: 425 yards and seven scores on 57 carries, an average of 7 1/2 yards a carry.

Childress has ran for 194 yards and three TDs, and D. Hollie, 190 yards and two scores.

Defensively, Luke Skillern (42), Wells (38), and Noble Kendrick (24) lead Troup in tackles. Troup has 32 tackles for loss, and Caden Starkey has six, the leader in that department.

Starkey also leads the Tigers with three sacks; Skillern and A.J. Dewberry each have two.

Wells, Dee Hollie and Cameron Hollie each have an interception, and the Tigers have six fumble recoveries by six different players.

One more thing: earlier, the similarities in these two programs were mentioned. How about this?

Prior to tonight’s meeting, Arp leads the series, 40-39-1.