Game of the Week: Rossview, Clarksville rivalry starts season with bang

George Robinson
Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle

There isn't anything new about a change in when Clarksville High and Rossview play their eagerly anticiapited high school football game.

The rivalry has moved up and down the schedule in the more a dozen years the two teams have played. And the intensity has never waned. It's actually intensified over the years.

Rossview's Isaiah Phillips hand the ball off to Fred Orr during their jamboree game against Kenwood last week at Austin Peay.

But for the first time ever the two teams will meet in Week 1 when Rossview travels to Hilda J. Richardson Field to take on Clarksville at 7 p.m. Friday to open the season.

"We felt that since we're no longer in the same classification, we could play it early so that both schools could spend the remaining weeks concentrating on region games," CHS coach Isaac Shelby said.

That's a nice way of putting the rivalry in its proper perspective since the game has no bearing on playoff hopes. But it will mean something to the fans, students and players.

"It's for the Warfield Shield," Rossview quarterback Isaiah Phillips said. "That's all anyone needs to know."

Clarksville High's Josh Watch tries to avoid the tackle of a Christian County (Ky.) defender during their TOA Football Jamboree game Friday at Austin Peay in Clarksville.

This rivalry has been puncuated with thrilling finales and flat-out blowouts but the sideshow of social media has turned up the heat in recent years.

"I don't pay any attention to that," Phillips said. "I'm not on social media. I try to focus on just the game and what we need to do."

Both fan bases do the majority of talking on Facebook and Twitter while coaches keep their players level headed.

"It's a big one," said Rossview coach Todd Hood, who is new to the rivalry as the Hawks first-year coach. "Our kids want to win. (Clarksville) wants to win too."

And the game will draw more people than any other game in Clarksville this season. 

"Not to mention that folks have been without high school football since last November," Hood said. "The game will be huge."

More than 3,000 people are expected to pack Hilda J. Richardson Field and tickets went on sale Monday.

"There's bragging rights for sure," Shelby said. "We know this is a big week right off the bat but we're also taking everything in stride so that we don't lose sight of what we have left for the season. There have been years where this game, win or lose, can linger into the next couple of weeks."

Reach Prep writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com or (931) 245-0747 and on Twitter @Cville_Sports

 

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

West Creek at White House-Heritage, 7 p.m.

Northwest at Southwestern (Ky.), 8:30 p.m.

Northeast vs. Central Hardin (Ky.) in Bowling Green, 5 p.m.

Kenwood at Greenbrier, 7 p.m.

Sycamore at Montgomery Central, 7 p.m.

Harpeth at Clarksville Academy, 7 p.m.

Houston County at McEwen, 7 p.m.

Crittenden County (Ky.) at Stewart County, 7 p.m.

Marshall County (Ky.) at Fort Campbell, 7 p.m.