Owls find new 2011 football foe
Owls find new 2011 football foe
A number of recent reader comments online at TribTown.com have raised the question of whether Seymour High School should continue playing Columbus North in football.
Here’s the straight answer from SHS athletic director Brandon Harpe — this fall’s game was the last between the Owls and the Bull Dogs, or at least for a while.
Harpe said Tuesday that Seymour has signed a four-year agreement with Franklin Community High School. The game replaces the Columbus North game, starting with the 2011 season next August, as we reported mid-August in our fall sports preview section and again in Sports Editor Zach Spicer’s preview of the Seymour-North game.
Seymour has a history with the Johnson County school. Franklin and Seymour were regular opponents when both were members of the old South Central Conference and have continued to be foes in other sports, including basketball.
Harpe said he was not part of the decision to drop North (he just started his job as AD this year), but it was his understanding the decision to end the matchup was mutual.
“Both schools were looking to schedule an opponent they could see in the tournament, (that) was part of the decision, I was told,” Harpe said.
One part of the Owls’ football schedule that should not change is its matchup with the Brownstown Central Braves.
This year, the Owls travel to Brownstown on Sept. 24. Seymour beat the Braves last year at Bulleit Stadium.
The rivalry’s a lot of fun. The parking lots and streets are packed with cars and trucks from across Jackson County and the stands are filled with enthusiastic fans.
Aside from the fun, it’s likely a moneymaker for both schools.
Harpe said the game has his support.
“I like it because I think it brings the best out of both teams and it is typically a tournament atmosphere,” he said of the Owls-Braves contest. “The current coaching staffs at each school give the other team a different-looking offensive and/or defensive scheme than they see out of a lot of other teams on their schedule, which is a plus.
“I guess the major reason I like it is that it is fun,” Harpe added. “People start tailgating early and the crowds are the biggest and loudest of the year. The game is a moneymaker, but that is only part of the equation as to why it is a good game to keep.”
The contract for the county rivalry runs through 2013. Let’s hope it’s extended.
