Lakeside will travel to Evans High School looking to keep their undefeated record over the last four years.
Photo by Alycia Powers
When a high school is born out of another high school, a rivalry is also born with it. That is exactly what happened in 1988 when
Evans (Ga.) High School, in Evans, Georgia was over populated.
Lakeside (Evans, Ga.) High School was modeled after Evans and opened four miles away. The 1988-1989 school year divided students between Evans and Lakeside, starting an instant rivalry.
WGAC Sports Director Ashley Brown was right in the heat of the division. Brown attended Evans his first three years of high school, but when Lakeside opened his senior year, he became a Panther.
"Instantly there was a rivalry," Brown said. "The Evans kids thought that Lakeside was getting all the flashy new uniforms and the Lakeside kids thought that Evans was getting all the attention because they were really good at the time."
When Lakeside first started their football program, they played on Evans field. It ignited the rivalry as Lakeside felt they did not have a home, and Evans just rubbed it in their face. The Columbia County teams played other sports against each other but it was not until the early 1990's that they started playing football against one another.
The Knights had a strong football program in the eighties. They were still a strong team in the early nineties when they started to play football against the Panthers. Early on Evans commanded the games. But in 1994 Lakeside showed their rival that were a team to watch out for, and won their first game against Evans.
"That was kind of a wake up call and since then the rivalry has been pretty close. All time Evans leads thirteen wins and seven for Lakeside and they tied once," Brown said.
In recent years Lakeside has not only dominated the rivalry they have dominated the county. The last time Evans beat Lakeside was in 2008, the same year Knights won the region championship. In 2009 Lakeside won a region championship and has not lost a county game since then. Since 2009, the Panthers shut out the Knights three years in a row. Last year the game was close, Lakeside taking the "W", 21-14.
Knights Head Coach Marty Jackson is looking forward to another close game this year. He forgets about past records and focuses on the current teams.
"It's a different team over the last year, every year is a new team," Jackson said. "We are excited about it and I expect us to go out there and play a great game."
Jackson describes the rivalry as zealous as the Auburn - Alabama rivalry. Panthers Head Coach Jarrett Troxler agrees. He says all the games whether they are early in the season or late in the season are always a big games.
"Anytime we play Evans we have a huge crowd, the student body is very involved," Troxler said. "It is just a lot of fun for the kids."
Stands will be packed. Student sections have coordinated cheers, themes and props for the student body fans. Bands will battle, and you can bet … it will be fanatical.
"If your stomach is not a little churn-y on Friday night and Thursday then something is wrong with you, you got ice for blood in your veins," Jackson said.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
