Former consolidated programs turn rivals

They used to take the football field side-by-side and now they're staring each other down face-to-face.Central City and Springville and Lone Tree and Highland High Schools once merged into consolidated prep football programs. Central City and Springville competed in Class A with Highland and Lone Tree in 2A.All four are independent, squaring off against the programs they formerly called partners in strong rivalry games.About a decade has past since the Catbirds suited up, so consolidation doesn't fuel the fire for the Wildcats and Orioles. Instead, motivation comes from both being 8-Man programs at Linn County schools in the Tri-Rivers Conference and location - the towns are only about 16 miles apart.“We play each other in all the other sports,” Springville Coach Jared Baumann said. “For football, it's the natural rivalry.”Central City (6-1 8-Man district 4, 9-2 overall in 2008) has owned the series since separating after their run together from 1990 to 1999. Last year's 44-0 shutout of the Orioles (2-5, 3-6 in 2008) made the event a little sweeter to the victors.“That was the first time we, to my knowledge, shut them out in the actual Tractor Bowl game,” Central City senior wide receiver and defensive back Mason Nielsen said. “That was good, hoping we can repeat that this year.”Baumann said he tries to treat it like any other game, however, the community and players look forward to play Central City.“That's the game all our kids are pumped up to play,” said Baumann, starting his fifth season as Orioles head coach. “That's the game if we can choose one game we pretty sure get to play every year I'd get.”The communities are involved in the rivalry, which is passed down through families at each school, according to Central City Coach Matt Weis. A large crowd is expected when the teams face off Week 9 (Oct. 23) at Springville.“It's probably one of the bigger gates for both teams,” said Weis, in his fourth year as Wildcats coach. “It is neat.”The Wildcats have won all but one game in what is known as the “Tractor Bowl.”It's spawned quite a tradition. The day of the game students drive to school on tractors, traveling to the game on them as well. Central City has had a strangle hold on the trophy, currently on display in the school's main office.The Wildcats aren't ready to surrender it over when the teams meet the last week of the season.“We don't want to lose the tractor trophy,” Nielsen said. “Every time we bring that out, we're talking about not losing. We want to keep it right where it's standing.“We've been successful. I guess that's a little more motivation for us to play harder in practice and make sure it stays here.”Highland (3-6 Class A district 5, 3-7 overall in 2008) and Lone Tree (4-2, 6-4 overall in 2008) don't compete for a traveling trophy, but still have a strong desire to topple one another.They are only three years removed since it's sharing agreement that spanned from 1993 to 2006. The series is a lot closer with the Huskies holding a 2-1 advantage, but Lone Tree notched a big 40-12 win last year.“There's a buzz around that week. People talk about it,” Highland Coach Tony Johnson said about the Lone Tree tilt. “It's a healthy rivalry game.”Even when a season isn't as successful as hoped, beating your rival can salvage a season. In 2007, Lone Tree and Highland both entered the final game winless. Highland won and Lone Tree was winless.“Winning that game can definitely make a season,” said Johnson, who served as an assistant when the two programs were joined. “Not only did we only win one game, but we kept them from winning a game. That was a huge game.”The senior classes did play together in junior high. Highland captain Dakoda Flory was part of that group. The rivalry is heated with some occasional trash talk, but Flory said it doesn't resonate from former teammates.Highland hosts Lone Tree for its homecoming game Oct. 9. Flory admitted it would be nice to close out with a win over the Lions.“It is good to beat Lone Tree. It's just good to beat your rival,” Flory said. “It would be nice to go out senior year with a win, especially against them.Whether it's proving you were better of two joined programs or earning bragging rights against a neighbor or conference foe, rivalries provide added excitement for the teams involved.“It makes high school football a lot more fun,” Flory said. “When I think of rivalries I think of Iowa-Iowa State. It makes it a lot more fun (and) a lot more interesting.”