Did you think that I would forget? Of course not...
It's time for The Game... which has turned into more like Let's see how many times we can make the bulbs on the board flicker...
Ashland owns this rivalry...Which is not even fair to call it a rivalry...Doc Holliday,Huntington not Tombstone, said it best, "In order for it to be a rivalry you have to beat them too."...or something to that affect... Boyd County and Blazer has meant little to nothing in the past few years, It got out of hand in the 90's, The Scarlet made it interesting earlier in the decade taking two straight and who can forget the first ever playoff meeting between the two?
All that now seems like tattered pages with faded pictures in a book you didn't know was under your cofee table... It's anything but a rivalry, and to be honest, aside from the County's fleeting glory during the Dane Damron years, it has meant little to nothing since about 1989. And this Friday night, it is going to mean little to nothing for another season.
The game got moved back to it's familiar end of the year date a few season's ago..That helped restore some of the old feelings for the game, but the on-field play quickly deminished and all but extinguished any warm fuzzies found elsewhere with the rivalry. But, not to just be picking on the Football program, across the board this Inter-County Rivalry has died. No more packed gyms for the Basketball version... The biggest competition nowadays is the Food Fued canned goods drive between the schools, and the Academic pursuits of both schools, which, to the suprise of all, BC actually has the advantage and has for quite some time...Gotta' love those standardized tests.
It's one of those things where, used to, no matter either team's record, this one was going to be a dog fight, or more appropriately a cat fight... I mean it had it all, clever chants, rabid fans, signs, school spirit, fights and genuine hate...I mean used to, you knew there was going to be a fight after the game at one of the various after parties... Now, kids go to bed at halftime or skip the game comletely to go to Kyova Theaters...Can't fault them for that, attempting to get their money's worth for entertainment...And I am not trying to promote teen-age shennanigans and promoting adolecent smackdowns or un-rully keg parties out at the strip mines...But, shit guys, a little something would be nice...
I happen to be one of those who really has no vested interest in particulars and because of my large and divided family, depending on what grade who is in usually sways my allegiance in this one...That being said, and due to my unfortunate alumni status, I am going to have to say it would thrill me to no end to see the Lions come out and play with a sense of pride, play with some HEART and rip the HART out of the Tomcats... But I'm no fool either...It is going to be a slaughter...And I say it is going to be somewhere in the 50 point area advantage Ashland...
But, hey, with that 1 win over East Carter(3-0 was the final tally) BC gets in the playoffs...A big nod to the KHSAA On their playoff structure. Which by the way will be tweeked next season with yet another re-districting of teams and some schools(finally) moving up in to a more appropriate class rank...Unfortunately for Cannonsburg, BC rejoins Ashland in the same district.. I hope that BC improves fast, or else when that new school is finished, The Scarlet may have been seasons removed from the last time they saw a 'W'.
1997, you may be off the hook, but for now, Larry Bryant's Boys are still on the board...
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