By Staff
For the 102nd and final time Dowagiac and Niles will meet on the gridiron.
In one of the state's longest continuously running rivalries, it all comes down to one game.
Regardless of tonight's outcome Niles will win the overall series as it holds a 49-47-5 lead.
But tonight's game is about more than winning or losing a series to most of the fans who will gather and surround the field.
Tonight is about the memories of years gone by.
Most people like to look back on their &#8221glory years“; and we are sure there will be more than a few eyes that will need to be wiped when the game is over.
The Dowagiac-Niles series has brought out the best in generations of football players.
It has also brought out the worst on occasion.
But we chose on this day to dwell on the positives of this series.
As the record shows, these two schools have been about as close as you can be when it comes to winning on the field.
Just two games separate these two squads. There have been 20 shutouts for each team.
It took an 11-game winning streak for Dowagiac to catch up to the Vikings in the 1990s.
Likewise, Niles opened up a large margin over the Chieftains by dominating the 1970s.
But in the end, we will remember not who won and lost each game, but who played in them.
The memories that have been created from this often heated rivalry are as vivid today as they were 30 or 40 years ago.
For those who do not know, this series began in 1896 with the Vikings taking a 12-0 victory.
The teams played continuously since 1901. The 1930 game was snowed out.
The Vikings also won the last meeting between the two schools in 2004, a shut out.
Both teams are playing for their playoff lives as well as the Black and Blue trophy which honors the series.
The trophy was provided by Bill Shoumake several years back and will live forever in the high school of tonight's winner.
But no matter who wins or loses tonight's contest, let's remember that this game will be held in the memories of these players for the rest of their lives.
Let's not get carried away in the emotion of the contest, but relish that we were truly blessed to be a part of this grand tradition.