Iowa City’s ‘Boot’ a real thing of beauty in the ’90s

IOWA CITY - No list of state football rivalries is complete without mentioning Iowa City's annual tug of war dubbed the “Battle for the Boot.”The rivalry has faded recently, but not among the locals. Iowa City High remains one of the state's top programs, and Iowa City West is trying to find traction. But for a seven-year period in the 1990s, no Iowa rivalry - perhaps none in the Midwest - matched the “Battle for the Boot” in intensity or importance.Either City High or West represented Eastern Iowa in the state title game from 1993 through 1999. Each school won three titles, and Iowa City High posted the other appearance. It was a decade of dominance by one city that likely won't be matched again.“I think for several years probably either one of the teams could have won the state championship, and usually one did,” said former Iowa City High coach Larry Brown. “A couple of times they were probably the best team we played all year when we beat them. I think in one instance we were probably the second-best team they played.”From 1994 through 1999, the teams met twice each year - once in the regular season, once in the postseason. Perhaps no year sizzled quite like 1995 when the teams met for the “Boot” ranked No. 1 and No. 2.KGAN-TV in Cedar Rapids aired the rain-soaked game live, and No. 2 West won, 14-0. The game cemented West as a legitimate state contender with the win over two-time defending champion City High. But the rivalry only got better that year.The schools were split for the Class 4A state playoffs and crushed their first two opponents by a combined 108-20. The schools then met in the state semifinals at the UNI-Dome. West won, 14-3, then cruised past West Des Moines Dowling, 42-0, to earn its first state title.For many fans, the long trail of cars driving from Cedar Falls to Iowa City after the state semifinal is an indelible memory. Iowa assistant coach Reese Morgan, who led West from 1992 through 1999, said the fierce competition and mutual respect made the “Battle for the Boot” a great rivalry.“It was a very intense rivalry that I became aware of when I moved to Iowa City, and I didn't realize the scope of it,” Morgan said. “For the most part, I think it's been very healthy. There's great respect.”