From the moment we arrived in Valdosta it was obvious that this week may be a special one. The passion and excitement that these fans have for the game of football may top any community we have been in so far. We pulled into Austin's Steak House to eat dinner and catch Monday Night Football, yes life is tough but we manage. Everyone we met from the owner to the customers said the same thing about this Friday's game, "You will not believe what it is like here on Friday night!"
Needless to say, we are fired up for this game between Valdosta and Lowndes. Valdosta is the winingest program in the country, bar none. They have 23 state championships and 6 national titles to prove it. Lowndes is a neighboring arch rival and has begun to collect a few state titles of their own and have won 6 of the last 9 battles with Valdosta. Unfortunately, this year has been a shockingly down year for Valdosta who has lost 6 games by a total of 22 points and may be on their way to their first losing season in 30 years. Their schedule is loaded with the best teams in Georgia and they have been on the short side of some fierce battles. Meanwhile, Lowndes is a modest 4 and 2 and looking to get hot and make another postseason run.
However the truth is that these teams could be undefeated or 0 and 10 and it would not matter. This type of rivalry causes everyone to forget about records or stats and once the game is underway I think we will see why. Until then, Chris and I will have TV and radio shows to attend with a few booster club parties in between. Now is the time to send us your advice on who to go with in this week's game between these two great programs? I am also curious to know if anybody else out there thinks their local rivalry is the best in the land? As always post a response to let everyone know what you think.