This fall will mark the end of a historic rivalry, and some parents want to make sure history is not forgotten.
Clarkston Middle School and Sashabaw Middle School will have new names and new grade configurations next fall. Oct. 27 will be the final game between the schools? football teams.
Sashabaw Middle School opened in the fall of 1969, and in 1970 launched its own football program. A game between the two middle schools has been an annual tradition since.
‘People tell me it used to be a bigger deal than some of the high school games,? said Pam Marr, whose son plays for Clarkston Middle School. ‘They had bigger crowds.?
Marr is one of several parents who want to document the history of the in-town rivalry. For help in doing so, they sought back issues of The Clarkston News.
Headlines such as ‘Cougars upset Wolves? will be part of a DVD which will include narrated video footage from the 1990s and interviews, Marr said.
While researchers were able to obtain some images from microfiche at the Independence Twp. Library, a search of bound volumes at The Clarkston News provided sharper images of old reports from the annual matchup.
‘This is the end of a 35-year tradition,? Marr said. ‘They’ve been arch-rivals since 1970. It’s meant a lot to a lot of people in this community. It’s the end of an era.?
Beginning in fall 2005, Clarkston Middle School will house grades 8-9, while Sashabaw will be home for grades 6-7. Because of the consolidation, Marr said it’s important to help the players in making the transition.
‘We wanted to show all the students on both teams how important the game has been,? she said. ‘These boys who have been rivals all these decades will have to come together and play as a team next year.?
Marr expects the final game to have a big crowd, including some who have personal interest in the history.
‘A lot of players who played throughout the years have stayed in the community and have even become staff members for the school district,? said Marr. One example is Mike Stefanski, a former player and coach at Sashabaw who is now assistant principal at Clarkston Middle School.
Marr said there used to be a lot of ‘other side of the tracks? issues between the two schools.
‘It’s not like it used to be, but there’s some residual,? she said. ‘That’s why we think it’s really important to set the stage for these two groups of students to come together.?
The final game on Oct. 27 will feature the seventh grade teams at 6 p.m. and the eighth grade teams at 7 p.m. Both will be played at the Clarkston High School football field.