Is the Hall v. Conard Rivalry Good for the Town?

The Saturday before Thanksgiving,  the entire town bundled up and went to spend four hours watching a “rivalry” football game. This cross town rivalry between Hall and Conard is a beloved one, the athletes love to play in the games and the spectators love to watch, but has this aggressive rivalry between our two schools gone too far?

 As an athlete, I can attest to the fact that you live for this rivalry, this game is one of those games you have circled on your calendar from the moment tryouts start. The energy, the intensity, the rivalry all feeds into a game you don’t get against any other team in the league. Beating Conard is a feeling unlike any other.

But, what concerns Administrators is the fighting that occurs before and after the games. The virtual arguments and trash talk prior the the basketball and football games and the actual on court brawls after the boys basketball games, have they gone too far?

In my opinion, no. This is what rivalry is all about, the anger, the passion, the intensity it all feeds into a better game for both the players and the spectators. There’s something about sports that’s unlike anything else. For however long the game clock is, everyone in attendance forgets about whatever they have outside the game, it’s all about blue vs. red.

While, in no way do I condone the violence (and I think there’s a way to maintain this rivalry without the physical fighting) I think there’s something to be said about the school pride that is felt the week before a Hall Conard game. There’s a palpable excitement in the hallways, a nervousness in the players eyes, somethings on the line, what else can our school say that a large portion of the student body gets behind other than a Hall Conard game?

Nothing. So, I say keep the rivalry, don’t try to reign and control it. Let us students feel our school spirit, let us cherish the game, and most of all let us have our rivalry. Because above all, a Hall Conard rivalry is nothing more than the student body supporting members of the better side of town. Most importantly, FTO.