High school football players spend months preparing to make the fall memorable. The anticipation of Friday night rivalries energize offseason workouts and stir coffee shop conversations in mapdot towns throughout the tri-state area.
Two of the area’s most heated cross-county series resume tonight, with Bradley Central hosting Cleveland and Marion County visiting South Pittsburg. And Dalton goes to nearby Murray County. Regardless of what happens the rest of this season, the outcomes of those games will determine how each team is remembered in those towns.
CLEVELAND BLUE RAIDERS at BRADLEY CENTRAL BEARS
Proximity: The schools are less than four miles apart.
Series history: Cleveland leads 24-11.
Why it’s big: A three-mile stretch of Keith Street separates the two schools, and there are players who live next door to each other but play for opposing teams. Community pride and bragging rights keep the fuse lit on this heated rivalry year-round, evidenced by the fact that a TSSAA official once attended a game in this series and recommended to state headquarters that the rivalry should be suspended because of the threat of violence.
Most memorable games: Bradley won 27-26 in overtime last year when the Blue Raiders’ tying extra-point attempt sailed wide left. It was the Bears’ first win at Cleveland since 1977 and came after freshman quarterback Bryce Copeland threw a tying touchdown pass with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, then another that proved to be the winner in OT. The game that still stings Bears fans, and led to the series coming to a halt for eight years, came in 1991 when the Blue Raiders rolled 75-8.
Quotable: “It really hit me how much it means to people after we beat Bradley my first time and I had people coming up to me on the field with tears in their eyes. I remember thinking, ‘I don’t know if this is healthy, but winning this game means a whole lot to these people.'” – Former Cleveland coach Benny Monroe
MARION COUNTY WARRIORS at SOUTH PITTSBURG PIRATES
Proximity: The schools are less than eight miles apart.
Series history: South Pittsburg leads 43-38-4.
Why it’s big: It’s the state’s oldest continuous rivalry. The last time the teams did not play was in 1954, for fear of violence after South Pittsburg won 69-0 the previous year. Each program has won four state championships and is among the area’s top three in all-time playoff wins. South Pittsburg fans refuse to call their rivals by the school’s official name, instead referring to Marion as “Jasper.”
Most memorable games: Only the winner of the season finale would advance to the playoffs in 1969. South Pittsburg rallied for a 28-22 win behind Jimmy Wigfall’s 379 total yards, then went on to its first state title. In 1994, Eric Westmoreland returned an interception 65 yards for the game’s only score. Both teams won state titles that year.
Quotable: “At other places I’ve been, people would think it’s uncivilized to act the way people do toward each other here. These people want to rip each other’s guts out to win this game.” – Marion County coach Troy Boeck
“I don’t like to say that I hate anybody. But I really dislike Jasper a lot.” – Former South Pittsburg star Eddie Moore
DALTON CATAMOUNTS at MURRAY COUNTY INDIANS
Proximity: The schools are 12.5 miles apart.
Series history: Dalton leads the series 43-8.
Why it’s big: This series long has been viewed as the poor ol’ country boys (Murray County) against the rich city school, with Indians fans riding in on tractors and coaches wearing overalls during the game as a joke in prior meetings. Any school located near Dalton that plays the Catamounts on an annual basis considers that game the biggest of each season.
Most memorable games: No rivalry is any good without success on both sides, and even though the Cats hold a huge series edge, the Indians won seven of their games from 1989 to 2003. The most memorable was in 1992 when Murray, led by quarterback Matt Penland, won 17-16 in overtime at Chatsworth, Dalton’s lone regular-season loss.