Morning Sentinel
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Cony-Gardiner making a switch
BY BILL STEWART
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 08/13/2008

BY BILL STEWART

Staff Writer

Isac Cone is your typical high school football player. He loves big games in front of big crowds. This is why Cone, a senior lineman at Gardiner Area High School, embraces the annual showdown with Cony.

He'd play the game anytime, anywhere, so long as it were played.

But, still, in August?

"Yeah, it's weird it's in August," said Cone, who helped the Tigers win the Class B state championship last fall. "The game will always have the same excitement because it's been happening for so long. But it seems like it's just a scrimmage instead of the big Cony-Gardiner rivalry game.

"I mean, we want to win, but we still have the whole season in front of us. I don't want to think of it as nothing, but it doesn't count toward anything either."

Cony and Gardiner don't play in the regular season because the teams are in different classes -- the Rams compete in A while the Tigers are in B.

This year, the annual game will be played in the preseason, at 7 p.m. Aug. 29 in Gardiner. Last year, the teams met Nov. 23 at Alumni Field at Cony High School after the regular and postseasons were concluded.

For Gardiner, that meant playing a game after winning the Class B state championship.

"Cony hadn't played in a month, and Gardiner was coming off a tough game in the championship," said Cony athletic director Paul Vachon, who took the job after the scheduling change was made.

"It was difficult for both teams, that last game. They played it, but it'll be controversial for years to come, as will this game. But I can't see any other way of doing it. If someone out there can, please e-mail me what they have for suggestions. I just don't know."

Former Gardiner athletic director Karen Perry said the decision to move the game was designed to spark more interest in the rivalry game.

"Last year seemed to be so anti-climactic," she said. "Cony had to sit and wait for weeks, which was a safety issue. We wanted to try and build it back somehow. The choice was either at the end or at beginning. There was also no set time and no set date for the game. No one could plan anything. The bands couldn't plan anything. Everything was all up in the air and that was difficult for everybody."

The Cony-Gardiner rivalry dates to 1892. It's been played every year since 1917, and the Rams lead the series 65-55-10.

The game still means something to coaches and players past and present, as well as the two communities.

But has the rivalry, now an August exhibition, lost any luster?

"We won't treat it like an exhibition," said Cony senior captain Greg O'Neill, who will see time at tailback. "I'm not sure how they'll play it, but we want to keep the rivalry the way it should be. We want to win, and we want to beat their best players. It'd a be a big disappointment if they didn't take the rivalry the way it should be taken."

For his part, Cony coach Robby Vachon said he will treat the game as if it were a regular season game.

"I am going to play it straight out to win," he said. "It's important to me. It's a rivalry game. It feels good to win that game and it feels awful to lose it. I will play it as regular game. We'll play to win."

Added Gardiner junior Forrest Chadwick, who is the frontrunner to earn the starting quarterback job: "We'll play the best we can. Maybe we'll mix in a couple of kids to get our feet wet, but we'll mostly play it like it's a meaningful game."

Vachon and Gardiner athletic director Jeff Turnbull say they will evaluate the game at season's end and decide if it should be moved again.

"It'll be a year-to-year thing I guess," Vachon said. "I'm sure we'll look into it as we go and see if there is anything else that could be done. We'll see what happens. It'll be a difficult thought process for both coaches in how they play it. It'll be a very difficult position for both."

Turnbull added that he expects the game will be played with the same intensity that defined previous contests.

"The enthusiasm will be there," he said. "It'll be the first game of the season. They should be healthy and ready to play. I think any time Gardiner and Cony play, it's always more than an exhibition. The kids love to play. That's the bottom line."

Some players agreed.

"We definitely want to win that game," O'Neill said. "It would be a big highlight of our season."

Added Chadwick: "I think it's good we're keeping it going. It's a lot better than playing it at the end of the season. We were just worn out after such a long season. We'll be looking forward to it. Any time you play Cony it's a tough game."

Bill Stewart -- 623-3811, ext. 515

bstewart@centralmaine.com

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