Making Rivalry Games Positive Experiences in High School Sports

Rivalry games in high school sports go beyond just the result of the matchup. They are about tradition and culture not only on the field, but throughout entire communities.

Rivalries are also a great opportunity to demonstrate great sportsmanship. Two prominent rivalries in Oklahoma and Indiana balance the culture of rivalry games and the importance of maintaining good sportsmanship.

The Union-Jenks football rivalry in Oklahoma is known as the “Backyard Bowl.” The Union Redhawks and Jenks Trojans have been matching up for more than 100 years in a state that lives for football. The two schools are only about 10 miles apart in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. The game has also been played as a neutral site matchup at Skelly Field on the University of Tulsa campus numerous times, with the last time being in 2021 when the two schools also faced off in the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) Class 6A state championship.

Emily Barkley currently serves as the athletic director at her alma mater of Union High School, but the rivalry was one-sided in favor of Jenks during her time as a student. “The problem was when I was a student here in the mid-90s, Jenks was dominating in football. It was much more, you hate to use the word hated, but it was a more hated than heated rivalry at the time,” Barkley said.

After graduating high school, Barkley still had close ties to the Backyard Bowl as a student at the University of Tulsa. “As a student over there, I got to work some of those games and be around them,” Barkley said.

It was also during her college years when she saw the respect between both schools evolving. “I saw a shift in the respect factor. Once you got over that hump and really started competing with them, it was really 50-50 on which way that game would go,” Barkley said.

The respect that Jenks and Union have developed for each other has done a lot for the sportsmanship demonstrated in the game as well. Although the two schools have a lot of history, Barkley said that creating relationships with Jenks’ personnel has had a positive impact.

“It wasn’t really that hard to keep the sportsmanship up just because we had that respect for each other,” Barkley said.

Away from the field, this is a game that the outside community looks forward to every year. With 13 elementary schools in the Union school system, people of all ages are excited for Jenks week leading up to the game.

“It starts young. We talk about all my life, I want to be a Redhawk, and I’m sure they do the same thing over there, but you ingrain it at a young age,” Barkley said.

Some might think there’s no love lost in the Backyard Bowl, but it’s a game that creates full circle moments within the community.

Switching gears to basketball, the Hamilton Southeastern- Fishers game, referred to as “Mudsock,” is one of the best rivalries in Indiana where people live and breathe the sport. Hamilton Southeastern and Fishers are also located only 2.5 miles apart in suburban Indianapolis, Indiana. The game recently moved to a neutral site at the new Fishers Event Center to accommodate more fans, creating a fantastic environment.

“It made sense to partner with the Fishers Event Center and the city of Fishers. They have been tremendous hosts,” Hamilton Southeastern Athletic Director Jim Self said.

In a game where the whole city of Fishers is seemingly watching, it’s important to maintain good sportsmanship. “We want it to be the best rivalry in the state, but we also want it to be a first-class rivalry,” Self said.

With that said, it’s more of an event than simply a top rivalry game in Indiana.

“I think we owe it to our community to put on a production that they’re not just coming to watch a basketball game,” Self said.

Mudsock also recognizes various student groups. “We want the kids or bands playing or singing the national anthem. Last year, Fishers presented their state championship rings for basketball at that game. This year, we honored our state championship girls soccer team,” Self said.

Like the Backyard Bowl, Mudsock is a rivalry that kids follow from a young age. With that comes the importance of being a good role model as a student-athlete.

“Those little kids that are growing up wanting to be Tigers and Royals are watching you to see how you respond,” Self said.

Self also added that kids can choose whether to go to Fishers or Hamilton Southeastern but will bleed either red or blue after making the decision.

Both schools have historically been very successful, with Mudsock playing host to some great players and teams. Fishers has been on the national spotlight with stellar teams in recent years. Hamilton Southeastern has also produced solid players on both boys and girls teams such as Gary Harris, Maya Makalusky and Sydney Parrish.

“It’s just an exciting brand of basketball and it’s a lot of fun both on the girls and the boys,” Self said.

Overall, rivalry games in high school sports go far beyond the field or the court. They are about fostering a sense of community and embracing the culture surrounding the game. Additionally, rivalry games are a way to demonstrate leadership as a role model for the young kids who want to play in those games one day and look up to student-athletes playing in them right now. Although the Backyard Bowl and Mudsock are rivalries, they incorporate an aspect of respect between both sides, even in a high-intensity atmosphere.

Noah Eaton is a spring intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department. He is a senior at Indiana University in Bloomington.