Rivalries have always upped the ante of any sporting event.  Two teams meeting to test their training, skill and determination has fascinated people for ages, but when the emotional element is added it becomes more than a game.  The combined pride of the teams is on the line, bragging rights for 365 days hang in the balance. 

The cross-town rivalry has always been the pinnacle of these contest, the subway series being just on example, but Wahpeton and Breckenridge take the concept to a whole new level.  Adding the cross-boarder aspect made this a great way for both schools to open a season.  For the rest of the season neither team will play before such an adoring crowd.  The Stands were pack to bursting.  Wahpeton dominated four sections of the stands.  Not to be out done Breckenridge jammed their two sections completely, two deep in places with fans sitting on laps. 

The back and forth on the field was truly a showcase of football studies.  The Huskies surged early with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion in the first.  Breckenridge used the second quarter to put on an offensive tutorial of their own.  The fans were a mirror of what was happening on the field.  The sea of Wahpeton fans did not find their seats until the end of the first.  Cowboy’s faithful while smaller in numbers made the second quarter sound like a college or NFL game.

The second half started with both defensive squads battling for the center of the gridiron. Both sides of the stands echoed the on-field tug-o-war.  Each group watched with set determination.  The fourth quarter was again a lesson in offensive football both teams used the ground game to great effect.  While passing was sparse both quarterbacks were productive when they went to the air, certainly not flashy with the throwing but just a fundamentally sound use of mid-route tosses.  As it had been all night the crowd was right there with their chosen side, feeling each hit, cheering gained yards, and empathizing every lost yard.  In the end it was Wahpeton that walked away with the right to brag for the next year with a 27-20 win over the Cowboys.

It is very easy to lose sight of what it means to be a fan.  Grotesque salaries, doping, in-fighting, and off-field antics can take the most hardened fan away from the game.  Then there are those moments that exemplify why we watch, why we dye our hair, and stand in the unseasonably warn weather providing dinner for the mosquitoes.  Sports are so much more than two teams.  Being there and sharing with friends and complete strangers the highs and lows of a game is why fans go to such great lengths.  Despite what the scoreboard said when the time ran out, Friday’s game was what it is all about.  And it is for that reason that Breckenridge and Wahpeton fans alike are our players of the week.