by Joe Schwork

Ohio State/Michigan...Oklahoma/Texas...Florida/Florida State

All of these have two things in common...1) They are rivals; 2) The heart of the student body resides for one school only. The hatred for Michigan was so deep that Woody Hayes of Ohio State instructed not to buy gas in the state to the north of them. Coaches ask for the best in every game...but there is really only one game that means this much to each team every year.

With all the realignment and non-public debate swirling over the heads of the state this season, we sometimes forget to look around at what is already there. No matter the sport, rivalries between schools are unique; each schools' student body embraces the rivalry and brings it that much to the next level.

In Sussex County, there is a rivalry between two schools from the same town, only separated by Route 517 and a five minute trip. Yes, I am talking about Sparta vs. Pope John, in a battle for 'their town.' Sparta High School was built in 1959 serving a number of different towns. It wasn't until 1975 that Sparta let go of many of their sending districts, and by 1990, it was only Sparta the sent its students to the high school. Since joining the SCIL, Sparta has had a very dominate athletic department, arguably the best in Sussex County.

Pope John, on the other hand, has a claim on Sparta. It was actually the first high school in the town, being built in 1956. In the beginning, Pope John was not known as a powerhouse in football and actually was not that strong at all, but by the time PJ was a charter member of the SCIL in 1975, Pope John has won 18 league championships.

Spartans vs. Lions
I will always remember the athletic games I have watched at my time in high school. Home or Away, you will hear the chant 'This is OUR Town' and it came to a point where the games were always competitive and even if either team was winning, they always had to be careful of the comeback. For some reason, you notice that the effort and the push to beat the other school were so much more than every other game. Some of the largest crowds across the county come out to watch Sparta play Pope John each year. Historically, this rivalry meant winning a championship or losing out of sole possession of first place. Combined, the schools have 24 SCIL championships in football and another 23 state titles.

The rivalry reached an unprecedented level between the two schools between 2000 and 2003. The two shared a league title in 2000 (along with Vernon), Pope John won the league also in 2001, but it was Sparta who had the SCIL glory in 2002 and 2003. Not to mention, their coach, Pat Shea learned his tricks from Vic Paternostro, head coach of PJ. Bad blood has been present for years before this, but this was definitely the last time the two schools were close. It was not until last season that Sparta brought the intensity level up again. Last year, many thought PJ had much more talent than the Spartans, but on the field, it was a battle. It was a sloppy game and PJ ended up winning 14-3, but it was much more than a win for the Lions. Even though they did not play up to their potential, the team won the Battle of Sparta. And for the Spartans, the team may have had pride in the effort; it was just not enough to defeat their rival.

Defeating a rival can make a bad season, good; but a loss to a rival will reverse a good season. I personally have been on both side of this rivalry and I know: the build up to the Battle of Sparta is the most nerve wrecking and most rewarding at the same time. On the field, it is the biggest game of the year, loads of people watching, and the pressure is on to compete well.

You never want to lose against your friends and neighbors, but at the same time, you root for them to do well once the game is over. Each athlete in this rivalry respects each school and knows what it means. The community of Sparta knows what this game means and shows their support for the week leading up to the game. I remember the day of the game, there are cheerleaders at the corner telling people to "Honk if your a Lion" or "Beep for the Spartans." In this rivalry...Sparta stops to watch. Will you be watching too?