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ILS1
10-16-2006, 08:20 PM
I have seen this rivalry first hand. My nephew used to play for Thrall HS for 4 years. It got really ugly at times,things I can't even post on this message board. I know it's 1A football but still a nice read.


By Alan Trubow

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF


Saturday, October 14, 2006

THORNDALE — You are from one. Or you are from the other.

You wear maroon and gold. Or you wear purple and white.

You call yourself a Bulldog. Or you call yourself a Tiger.

Out in the middle of Central Texas, where the farms are bigger, the communities smaller and the stars shine brighter, sit two tiny towns separated by six miles of Texas 79.

There's Thrall and its 550 residents.

And there's Thorndale and its 1,278.

"You're talking about two communities that have friends and family members in the other one," Thrall football coach Mark Sebek said. "They go to church together. They see each other everywhere. There are marriages between the two communities."

But when it comes to football, you are from one town, or you are from the other.

That's because the biggest event annually is the game each fall between the two schools. This year it came on Friday, when Thrall beat Thorndale 13-9, as Homer Jackson's 37-yard touchdown run with just more than a minute to play gave the Tigers the District 27-A victory.

It was the second consecutive year that the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs.

You can bet the feeling of victory will last a long time.

"This is the biggest thing in these communities," Thorndale coach Todd Doughty said before the game. "It really doesn't get any bigger for these players or these fans."

It showed.

In towns where people leave their doors open and the light on, Thrall's Main Street was desolate Friday night, the only sound being the wind rustling through the leaves.

And Thorndale's streets, with the exception of Stadium Drive right next to the football field, were the same way.

No cars. No people.

"This would be the best time to rob a bank in either of these towns," said Thorndale resident Freddie Wuensche. "Because everybody is here. And you don't want to talk bad about anybody on either side, because chances are you're going to be talking to somebody who's related to that person."

It's that small. It's that personal.

In rivalries like Austin High-Westlake and Pflugerville-Leander, the players say they know the players on the other team. But it's nothing like Thrall-Thorndale.

"We know everybody from there. No exaggeration," Thrall quarterback Garret Sladek said. "And they know everybody here."

Everybody means everybody.

It's why the Thorndale team found itself at midfield before the game, emotionally charged, pointing and taunting the Thrall sideline.

It's why the Thrall sideline was pointing back, including the coaches.

It's why fans on both sides were standing four rows deep to cheer on their respective teams.

"There is this game, and there is every other game," Doughty said. "This is the first game everybody looks for on the schedule. It's the one everybody circles."


Bragging rights

The history of the rivalry doesn't point to a heated matchup. Thorndale leads the overall series 45-28-3 and has won 25 of the past 29 games.

"This game isn't about winning and losing; it's about kids in two great communities going out and competing hard" said Thrall fan Kenneth Beckermann, who was watching his son, Brandon, and rooting for his alma mater. "Don't get me wrong, nobody wants to lose this game. It's bragging rights for an entire year. And trust me, they brag."

It's understandable.

The kids play Little League together, on the same team. They play baseball and soccer. Their parents attend each other's parties.

"In a small school, you compete in everything," Thrall wide receiver Cameron Leetham said. "We see them for basketball. We see them for baseball. We play them in everything, and we always want to beat them to the ground."

The towns even look the same, with Thorndale being a little bigger, actually having one stop light. Both are farming communities, although many residents work at the Alcoa aluminum smelter plant in Rockdale.

The only main road running through the two towns is Highway 79.

Even the names of the cities are listed right next to each other alphabetically.

"You're talking about people who, if you take off their school colors, you can't tell the difference between them," said Thorndale assistant coach Lance Betak, who's father, Edward, went to Thrall but now is a statistician — and a fan — tied to Thorndale.

"I had to trade," Edward Betak said. "My wife is from Thorndale, and my kids went to Thorndale. I'm no longer a Tiger, I'm a Bulldog."

It's one or the other.

And it even splits relationships.

Sladek is dating a girl who goes to Thorndale. Thorndale running back Cirilo Reyes is dating a girl from Thrall.

Both players said their girlfriends were rooting against them Friday. And that was OK.

"It makes it more fun," Sladek said.

And it's all about fun, because on Saturday morning, everything returns to normal.

Thorndale and Thrall, side by side.

They're one and the same.

But once a year on a Friday night, you are from one, or you are from the other.



Story Link (www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/highschool/10/14/14smalltown.html)

GreenMachine
10-16-2006, 08:31 PM
Great article. Something to be said about small town life. :)

BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END
10-16-2006, 09:10 PM
I read this when it came out in the Statesman this weekend. It is a HUGE rivalry, as I know people from both towns. Needless to say, it gets serious.

Old Tiger
10-16-2006, 09:29 PM
GO THRALL TIGERS!!!!

After 18 years of losing to Thorndale they have turned the tides these past two years!