Hammonton St. Joe: Rivalry Game?

Hammonton St. Joe: Rivalry Game?

Here we are right before a Hammonton and St. Joe game. I know what you’re thinking: Wasn’t that supposed to be in November, that Thanksgiving Eve 52 year tradition football game between two huge football schools that this town feasts on? Well, you’re wrong. Try an in-season basketball with little at stake and honestly no rivalry-week feel.

Usually teams have one week to prepare for a huge rivalry and all past alumni either played in or watched. You have a whole student body behind you for a week to win a four quarter war for town supremacy.

Now you have one day, a 2 hour practice full of 3-on-2 drills, defensive slides, and maybe a tiny bit of film.

“How could anyone take the St. Joe Hammonton football game away?”

A lot of people had that thought last year when it was announced that Hammonton was leaving the Cape Atlantic. You probably thought that too.

After Hammonton’s recent move from the Cape Atlantic League (CAL) to the West Jersey League (and, more specifically, the Tri-County Conference), the classic CAL rivalries and all the energy that came with them went away. Hence, no Thanksgiving Eve football game. Now all that’s left is a little 32 minute how-do-you-do basketball game. And that’s that.

Does the recent non-football matchup have anything to do with the rivalry? Not many students think so.  In fact, some argued that it downgraded the matchup but it even raised the stakes for both schools.

“It’s still a huge match-up,” said senior Tyler Armor. “Because there’s not many other games, it’s bigger reason to come out”

Do spectators even see a rivalry? Its hard to see one. In earlier years, this rivalry was about how hard you’re going to hit your neighbor in the game. Today, it’s only about can we hold on to a 50+ year old rivalry.

What contributed to this? When St. Joe starting to recruit from towns outside of Hammonton such as Winslow, Atlantic City, Williamstown, and Egg Harbor Twp. It becomes a question of whether or not Hammonton  can hold on to a rivalry against a school who recruits people. It’s not Hammonton v.s Hammonton anymore; instead, it’s more like Hammonton v.s (Fill in a town here).

So over the past couple years the rivalry has been hard to hold on to, St. Joe being in the Non-Public 1 Classification State Championship every year makes them rest starters a little bit because the game was always a week before the state tittle game. So it makes it look like St. Joe doesn’t try, and it really doesn’t have that feel of a rivalry game.

Now all we are left to is a 32 minute game between what many regard as the schools’ secondary sports. It doesn’t feel like a rivalry game like past years leading up to it. No articles of a preview of the game, no Twitter beef, no nothing really.

It certainly is a change from days past. My dad, for example, attended St. Joe in the 60s and 70s. He said the rivalry was a thing you “lived and died” for.

“Even in the spring, it was all about was was going to happen in 6 months at the football game,” he said. I heard stories of each school pulling pranks and making fun of mascot. I can’t even imagine what Twitter would look like back then.

I really don’t feel that “live or die mentality” of game week. Don’t get me wrong: players and student expect electric crowds, high energy and a tight game. It just isn’t what it once was. It still feels like a big game, but not “the game” of the season.

It’s not heartbreaking if you lose; it’s just another loss with a little extra added on.

You might see a couple tweets from salty high school die hards going at it. Then a couple days later you’ll be talking about nothing to do with the game and no talk of “I can’t wait till next year’s game” because honestly with no football game it doesn’t feel right.

You still have the “I want to beat them by 20” talk by senior Matt Grossman, the “they are very beatable” by starting junior Zac Barnard, and the “I’m confident” talk.

People that I know that went and graduated in recent years from both schools said it had a “Ohio St.-Michigan feel” or a “Yankees-Redsox game deep in October.”

Two days from now the 2-10 Blue Devils of Hammonton play the 6-4 Wildcats of St. Joseph (Hamm.) and play a so called rivalry game.

Honestly this town can’t lose this rivalry. This town needs it.  It brings people together. It makes people care. It makes people pay attention to our student athletes.

It’s why high school sports matter in the first place.