Prep football: Kinda like the days of old

By Barry Byers - bbyers@heraldonline

Dear folks in attendance, we are gathered here tonight to decide region football champions.

For years the marriage involved Rock Hill and Northwestern. Rock Hill has been around since before flush toilets � I�m guessing � and Northwestern opened in 1971 and started playing football in Region 2-AAAA after a year of being an independent.

And the rivalry was born. Parents who were Rock Hill grads began wearing purple and gold and their loyalties, including those who chose to pretend at first, became Trojans because that�s where their children were zoned.

As the schools and the rivalry grew, so did the talent at each. When the late 70s and early 80s rolled in, Jimmy Wallace was hired at Northwestern, a few years before Rock Hill brought in Jim Ringer, now retired.

The Trojans and Bearcats left the final game of the regular season reserved for their annual meeting. When November started, so did the buzz about which team would win.

Although neither coach liked to see or hear the word �intensity�� used, there was no stopping it. As the intensity cranked upward, so did the status of the teams. The Trojans and Bearcats moved to the top of the Class AAAA pecking order under Wallace and Ringer, even got ranked and shared the national spotlight with powerhouses from around the country.

There were great games, most played for the region�s crown and top playoff seeding. The best was probably in 1989, when both teams went into their annual battle at 10-0. Rock Hill won 19-16 in three overtimes. They met again in the Upper State championship. Northwestern won and eight days later won the school�s first state football championship trophy.

Ringer is gone. Wallace is in his third season back since stepping away for two years to be the school�s full-time athletics director.

Former Gaffney coach Joe Montgomery took over in 2005 after Ringer retired. The same year, Rock Hill�s third high school, South Pointe, opened. Wallace�s long-time defensive coordinator, Bobby Carroll, was hired to run the new school�s football program. Montgomery�s former DC at Gaffney holds the same job at Northwestern.

That brings us to Friday night.

Northwestern, Rock Hill and South Pointe are playing for region titles. That�s because two years ago the South Carolina High School League put Rock Hill in a Columbia-area region during the realignment for the 2007-2008, 2008-2009 seasons.

Because of that, Rock Hill hosts South Pointe tonight in the Region 4-AAAA decider. Northwestern travels to Gaffney to play for Region 3-AAAA supremacy. And it must be said that last year South Pointe and Northwestern were region champs and met in the Class AAAA Division II state championship game. South Pointe won. Very exciting.

But the intensity level that characterized the Rock Hill-Northwestern games just wasn�t the same to some folks. Because of the split, the Trojans and Bearcats have played in the third week that last two seasons.

Is there any hope? Depends on what you are looking for.

In August, the high school league realigned for the coming two school years. Rock Hill and South Pointe were moved into new regions.

The Northwestern-Rock Hill game will move back to its usual spot on the schedule, Game 11, now that the Bearcats are returning to Region 3-AAAA.

South Pointe? Principal Al Leonard and AD Mike Drummond petitioned the SCHSL to stay up with the other Rock Hill schools. The request was turned down and the Stallions will play in Class AAA for two years. The League�s staff ruled, correctly, that South Pointe doesn�t have enough students to stay in the Class AAAA ranks.

The Stallions will play Northwestern in their opener. Rock Hill in Week 4.

So how about the region that would include all three Rock Hill schools?

Should be back after the new realignment runs out. It�s done every two years.

And although the Stallions are moving down, it�s business as usual for Carroll. Besides Northwestern and Rock Hill, he has Charlotte�s Independence and Spartanburg on the schedule. He�ll play Fort Mill, Nation Ford and York in the new region, which includes Class AAA powers Chester and Fairfield Central.

The schedule is not complete, but South Pointe plays six teams it played this year and has added another Class AAAA team in Spartanburg.

Be patient. We�ve done this before. Matter of fact, we are doing it now.

Leonard all but guaranteed the next time realignment comes around, his school will qualify for Class AAAA.

But let�s not worry about what may be. We�ve got two region titles to be decided Friday and several schools that have legitimate shots at state titles.

Get a ticket. Buy a hot dog, some popcorn or boiled peanuts, and a soda. Cheer until your voice gives out. This is a glorious time for football fans. And like you, I love it.

GET EM NOW: Tickets for tonight�s Region 4-AAAA championship game at District Three Stadium are on sale at Rock Hill and South Pointe high schools.

Tickets are $7 each. They will be sold from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. today at 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. on Friday.