Bono, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — June 25, 2025 — The Northeast Arkansas Rampage Reapers, Northeast Arkansas’s newest adult tackle football team, will be holding tryouts in July and August in Bono.

The new team, which will officially begin competing during the 2026 spring season, is looking for around 30 players from across Northeast Arkansas, 18 years and older.

NEA Rampage Reapers president Logan Johnson said the team has a few goals for both the players and the community. For players who weren’t recruited out of high school to play college ball, Johnson said the team will keep statistics for these players and have game films.

“They can get recruited this way to colleges or to arena ball, where they can play at a higher level. So, our goal for the players is to get them the social media, the game films, and the statistics so that if they want to try out in the future for a higher-end team, where they can get paid or can go to college,” Johnson said.

Another goal Johnson noted was for the team to show the youth in the community to never give up.

“We want to show the youth in the community that no matter your situation or your age, you can put in the hard work, and you can still work to be better. You don’t have to give up on your dreams,” she said.

While the tryouts are being held in Bono, Johnson said the home field will be in Jonesboro. Tryouts will be held from 2-5 p.m. on July 19 and Aug. 16 at the old Bono City Park on Elizabeth Street.

“It’s going to be Northeast Arkansas players, so their home field will be in Jonesboro and all our home games will be in Jonesboro. We just might practice at different locations,” Johnson said. “We have confirmed a field that we can use because it is an 8-man league that we’re in, which is for eight men instead of 11 men on the field, so it’s a smaller field.”

The home field location for the team has not yet been revealed.

Johnson said the team signed on with the National Football Association (NFA) earlier this month. A June 18 NFA Facebook post said the NEA Rampage Reapers have signed on for the 2026 Spring 8-man Division, and it will be headed up by coach Blaine Smith of Bono.

Johnson said they are still looking for more staff as well, including statisticians, photography, social media, etc. Plus, they are going to be reaching out to some of the local schools for student volunteers as well.

“Now you have to have so many hours of volunteer work to graduate, and we’d love to be able to be that volunteer time for students in fields such as photography or media,” Johnson said. “That way it would look good for them going on to college as well.”

For more information on tryouts, staff related openings or volunteering, contact the team via Messenger on the NEA Rampage Reapers Facebook page or at Rampagereapers.nea@gmail.com.