Rivalry showdown: Players get amped up to play in huge rivalry games
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Montoursville coach Mike Boughton remembers it all. The crowd cheering, the lights shining, the big plays. Most importantly, he remembers the feeling after the win. It was 1993, and Boughton and his Montoursville teammates had just beaten Loyalsock in a huge rivalry game under the lights. And what made that win mean something special to Boughton was that it was the last time the two schools played for some time.
It was Boughton's junior season, and he remembers it nearly 30 years later.
"I just remember how big of a deal that was for us and to win that game and now that it's been back and turned into the bridge game, it's something you don't have to hype the kids too much for," Boughton said. "Now with social media, we live right across bridge from each other. The kids are talking all week long. It's definitely a real special event."
Boughton was an offensive lineman for Montoursville in the early 1990s and was part of the Warriors' District 4 championship team in 1994. He has been part of Montoursville's coaching staff for awhile before he took over the reigns in 2018, replacing JC Keefer. Boughton knows all too well what those rivalry games against Loyalsock are like.
And it's something that means a ton to not only the coaches, but the players and, perhaps just as importantly, the communities involved.
Loyalsock coach Justin Van Fleet was in a similar situation as Boughton. Van Fleet played for the Lancers in high school before taking over as coach at his alma mater. And while the rivalry had died down a tad when Van Fleet played -- he didn't play against the Warriors until his senior season -- he remembers seeing those rivalry games through his brothers.
Both oversee kids playing in said game.
"Upon restart, there was a lot of excitement around that and certainly buildup to the game. I experienced kind of the early stages of what has become. Now as an older brother, I was able to watch that rivalry grow from when Kyle and Jamie Van Fleet played and creation of The Bridge Trophy and all things that go around it and in communities and student body," Van Fleet said. "That's in a sense what separates that rivalry to so many is that it's been codified and very well known as a strong rivalry. It happens fairly naturally as well."
The Montoursville/Loyalsock rivalry restarted in 2002 and Montoursville holds a 14-8 edge over the Lancers during that span. That includes a current streak of six straight since 2018, two of which were playoff games. Since that restart, the two schools have played for the Battle of the Bridge Trophy. Once the schedule is released, that game is circled on the calendar. Not to mention a little extra motivation in the form of social media trash talking.
"Loyalsock always does a bunch of trash talking and on social media, its a big thing that everybody takes screenshots on social media and make it like a poster and hang it in our locker and make it our motivation and we come back in locker room every day and look at those posters," Montoursville senior Marco Pulizzi said.
"We definitely get really hyped up, it's one of our biggest games of the season and it's even bigger for me because I lived in Montoursville until seventh grade and I moved to Loyalsock," Loyalsock senior Rian Glunk said. "It's definitely a big game for me, as well as the team."
The Battle of the Bridge is one of two area rivalries in Lycoming County that are huge in terms of the hype and fan support. The other? Just a little ways south from Montoursville and Loyalsock with Muncy and Montgomery and the Old Shoe Game.
The Old Shoe Game started in 1961 and while Muncy has gotten the best of Montgomery in the series all time -- holding a 41-20 edge and winning 16 of the last 17 games -- both Muncy and Montgomery players know all too well that when the two play, records don't matter.
"The weekend before the the Old Shoe Game, is always the calm before the storm. When we walk into practice that Monday, everybody's locked in, everybody's ready to go and get it done. Practice are serious, but very hype. They're fun and everyone wants to win the game, but everyone's also playing hard and want to win," Muncy senior Ross Eyer said. "They know they're going to have to kick the snot out of somebody to win the game. Everyone's locked in and ready to go especially, no matter what. … We know that even in pee-wee, it doesn't matter how good they are. They're going to give us their best, we have to give them our best. That Friday night, it's go time."
All four schools -- Loyalsock, Montoursville, Muncy, Montgomery -- have extremely loyal fanbases when it comes to football in the fall. It doesn't matter what venue the Battle of the Bridge is being played at or what stadium the Old Shoe Game is being held. One thing is always certain: it's going to be a packed stadium with screaming, die-hard fans. And for coaches and players, that's the best feeling those Fridays.
"When you walk into a venue, it's almost like a three-ring circus with bands playing, fans lining all the stands and surrounding on the walkway, with people on chairs on the hill, it's a spectacle. You can feel the energy when you walk into that environment. It's different from almost any other game that we play because of all that attention paid by the community, jazzed up individuals in the stadium," Van Fleet said.
"The atmosphere is crazy. Even at our field we have to park at our practice field. It's so much more fun because there's a lot of people," Montgomery senior Weston Pick said.
"It doesn't matter where it's at, its packed both sides, everyone's there being loud and rowdy. I know community loves the Old Shoe Game because that week you see posters hanging up on peoples houses, things wrapped around trees, signs like 'Beat Montgomery' or 'Win the Shoe.' That night when you see people flooding into gate, it's a lot more," Eyer said. "You always see higher attendance because everyone wants to see the Old Shoe Game. Two teams close by hate each other on field and go at it and beat the crap out of each other."
This year will be the 62nd Old Shoe Game and coaches and players know how big the game is. Both communities pack the stadium. For Eyer, he got a taste of it as a kid growing up, seeing stadiums get filled up for the annual game.
"When I was younger before all varsity and even in high school, I remember going to games at Muncy and Montgomery and it was just crazy. For a high school game, it should not be that loud as it is there, everyone wants to kill each other on the field and that's how it is and everyone in the stands wants them to kill each other," Eyer said. "The younger kids definitely look up to it. I remember sitting in the student section in sixth grade watching my older friends hitting people and everyone screaming and going crazy and I said 'I wanna do that.' And my friends are like 'We're doing that, we're going to play in the Shoe Game.' The kids definitely look up for it and get excited for it."
Going to those early rivalry games is something Glunk remembers too. Which for him, is even more meaningful given he attended Montoursville for years prior to moving to Loyalsock.
"I think when I was young I went to every single one," Glunk said. "I remember going to every single game and just the environment was crazy."
No doubt the environment will be just as crazy and packed stadiums this fall as well when both the Old Shoe Game and Battle of the Bridge get played. Just ask Muncy coach Sean Tetreault or Montgomery coach Christian Diggs.
"With our two communities being so close and both of us being small schools, both communities have great pride. It's always a great game, we talk about all the time that your record doesn't matter," Tetreault said. "It's best game Montgomery plays, best game Muncy plays and full four quarters of good action."
"I think a lot of people like tradition and the Old Shoe game is a big tradition," Diggs said. "It will always have a great outcome and tradition will remain the same."
The players come and go and the numbers change every year on jerseys. But the one thing that doesn't change is how big the Battle of the Bridge and Old Shoe Games are for Montoursville, Loyalsock, Montgomery and Muncy's communities. The players get hyped up to play it every year, the coaches get excited, and fans in the stand -- including those young future players -- get more than excited as well.