Originally Posted Thursday, October 15, 2009
When the Paola Panthers and Osawatomie Trojans meet on the gridiron in Paola for the millionth time tomorrow night, I don’t think the casual fan will take into consideration that this rivalry game is probably going to end, and that end is in the not too distant future.
Paola continues to hover near the top of the list of largest 4-A schools in the state. A population boost in the next two years might move them up on classification and that move alone would kill the game.
The Panthers and Trojans will meet for two more years, in 2010 and 2011, as the two teams are assigned to the same district for 4-A football in those two years, but, the district changed for the coming two year period, Prairie View moved out, and Spring Hill moved in, and, I’ve been told the Trojans lobbied, and lobbied HARD to be moved out of the district instead of Prairie View.
If that would have occurred, the Tom-Tom game tomorrow would have been the last, because, from what I have been told, the Trojans would not have scheduled Paola as a non-league game.
I’m not really sure why the Trojans are so dead set in seeing this rivalry die, but should it end, it would be a truly unfortunate thing for Kansas High School Football.
Talk to any of the “old timers” and they’ll tell of riding the train between towns on Thanksgiving Day to watch the Paola/Osawatomie game. Families planned their holiday dinners around the game, it was a BIG deal.
Look back at the game, see the names who have played in it, the Osawatomie field is named after one participant, Lynn Dickey, maybe the most famous of all participants. But there have been others, Brian Shay, is another name that comes to mind.
I even played in one of the best Paola/Osawatomie games of all time (at least in my humble opinion), in 1973. That year, the game was played in Paola. The Panthers were ranked fourth in the state, undefeated, 7-0. We had allowed 25 points on defense TOTAL for the season, including a run of over 20 consecutive quarters of scoreless ball. The Trojans were 7-0, ranked second in the state, and were just as stout as we were. Offensively, the Trojans featured Derrick Jensen, a converted center, who rushed for over 2,000 yards that season.
When I came to the stadium to dress, nearly two hourse before game time, the bleachers were already FILLED to capacity. By game time it was estimated the crowd was over 5,000 and ringed the field over 10 deep in many places.
The Trojans got the best of us that night, 34-8, but the score was 14-8 until late in the third quarter, when a could of turnovers cost us a run at the game.
That game was for the right to go to the state playoffs, there was no district winner or runner-up, it was win and you’re in, lose and you’re 7-1 and starting to practice basketball. The Trojans won, and went onto win the state championship. I’m convinced that the state championship was played that Halloween night in 1973 on the field at Panther Stadium. I really think that if Paola had won, it would have been the Panthers hoisting the State Championship trophy.
My point is, why would anyone want this storied rivalry to die?
Someone has to do something to keep these two teams playing each other beyond the 2011 matchup.
No comments:
Post a Comment