By BILL STEWART

Staff Writer

His mother went to Cony. His father went to Cony. He goes to Gardiner.

Enough said, right? Well, not exactly.

Gardiner junior linebacker Alex Wheelock isn't the first Tiger whose parents are affiliated with Cony, and he may not be the last, either. But in 2007, the juxtaposition is compelling nonetheless.

"It's different," said Wheelock, who is recovering from a left shoulder injury. "It is funny. My dad is out of place sometimes when he goes to the games."

Dennis Wheelock certainly wasn't out of place when he roamed the Cony secondary in the 1970s. He graduated from Cony in 1978 and his gridiron highlights included an upset victory against the Tigers in the 1977 game.

"The towns are intermingled, but when it comes to the Cony-Gardiner game," Dennis Wheelock said, "you either bleed black and orange or you bleed red and white."

OK, well, which one is it?

Dennis Wheelock, who owns Dennis' Pizza in Gardiner -- which the Tigers frequently roam on gamedays -- doesn't hesitate.

"I'm black and orange," he said. "I know more of the Gardiner kids. The Cony people give me a hard time. They tell me I'm not bleeding red anymore, and there's probably some truth to that."

Both sides of the rivalry are well represented from within the Wheelock family. One of Alex's grandfathers, Dick Kidder, played football at Gardiner in the mid-1950s. Alex's uncle, Doug Wheelock, manages Damon's Pizza in Augusta and is a big Cony supporter.

"There is a lot of back-and-forth with Dennis' and Damon's," Dennis Wheelock said. "We all joke back and forth. I have a lot of Gardiner kids work for me, and they have a lot of Cony kids work for them. It brings flavor to business."

Bill Stewart -- 621-5692, ext. 515

bstewart@centralmaine.com