Dadeville-Reeltown football series tops list of best local rivalries

By Dusty Harper (Contact) | Alex City Outlook

Published Thursday, March 11, 2010

When Benjamin Russell and Auburn matched up earlier this week for a sectional boys soccer game, it was obvious that a little more was on the line than usual.

Most people who aren’t soccer fans think the sport is dull and slow to watch. They think that because two teams may play for 80 minutes with one or two goals, there isn’t much action. Let me tell you, Monday’s game was anything but boring.

The game went into sudden death penalty kicks after a scoreless regulation period, two overtimes and a best-of-five shootout. That in itself made the game intense, but had there been no extra soccer, things would have been just as exciting.

Elbows, cleats and whole bodies were flying around all night. Coaches from both sides were yelling constantly, players were jawing back and forth and injuries were all around. I’m surprised the referee had any yellow cards left. It was fun to watch, and you could easily tell how important winning was to both teams.

It got me thinking about some of the best rivalries I’ve seen since I have been covering games for The Outlook, which started in August of 2008. The BRHS-Auburn series is definitely on the list. Here are a few other area rivalry games everyone should check out:

Dadeville-Reeltown football: To me, this is far and away the best rivalry around. This one is important to not only the players and coaches, but the communities. Each town badly wants its side to come out on top. The Tigers and Rebels get together to kick off the season each year, so both sides get all summer to prepare for the other.

On top of that, these two have recently been the best clubs of anybody close. The Rebels are 26-3 with a state title in the past two seasons, with two of those losses coming in heart-breaking fashion to Dadeville. The Tigers drove the length of the field last year in the final minute to win in Nix-Webster Stadium, and they forced six Reeltown turnovers the year before to edge Jackie O’Neal’s team. Dadeville is 21-3 in the last two campaigns with a perfect regular season under its belt. This year’s battle shapes up to be another nail-biter.

Edward Bell-Coosa hoops: The Bears and Cougars are both always talented, so naturally, this is a great match-up. Edward Bell beat Central handily at home this season on the way to a state championship, but the Cougars got 34 points from John McGhee to upset the Bears by one point in Hanover. Joe Russell scored 42 points last year in a Coosa win, but Edward Bell rebounded with a 95-94 overtime victory later in the year. Both teams also bring huge crowds which makes for a rowdy atmosphere.

BRHS-Dadeville softball: It’s interesting to see Alexander City and Dadeville folks together when their schools meet. Everyone is cordial, but at the same time, it’s obvious that one side wants to beat the other. Hard to explain. Dadeville wants to knock off the largest city in the county, and Alexander City wants to prove bigger is better. If only they would meet on the football field ...

But, the softball games between the two will do for now. Pam Robinson’s and Richard White’s teams went at it for years, and now Kasey Smtih is keeping it going for the Lady Tigers, leading them to the state tournament last year. I wrote a column last year about how intense a JV game between these two was. The varsity games are good, too. A lot of pride is at stake when BRHS meets Dadeville in any sport.

BRHS-Auburn volleyball: Every match between these two area foes goes to five sets. It doesn’t matter how much one side gets up on the other and it doesn’t matter where they play, it always comes down to the last point. Both teams are very successful and have played against each other for the area championship the last two seasons. Before the season even starts, you can usually pencil each in the playoffs and you can always expect a close match.

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