Wait til next year.....

[wvhsparent]

Good Going NVHS!

Winner? Who cares?
Waubonsie fans say district rivalry more about revelry

By Sara Hooker
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Saturday, September 30, 2006

Win, schmin. Some Waubonsie Valley High School students liken themselves to the Chicago Cubs of the Indian Prairie Unit District 204 sister school rivalry.

Bathed in green and gold, they cheered wildly through intermittent rain and proclaimed loyalty better than victory during the school’s seventh loss in eight match-ups against nemesis Neuqua Valley High School.

“We’re the 12th man,” Waubonsie junior Kurtis Banta said while standing among friends painted gold and green, wearing football helmets. “We have much better fan support.”

And so the trash-talking began as 8,000 fans witnessed Neuqua’s 25-6 victory at the much anticipated Crosstown Classic, an event that has outgrown the high schools’ stadiums and taken over North Central College’s Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in downtown Naperville.

Giving lip service to the schools’ names and the phrase ‘who’s your daddy,’ Banta said: “Waubonsie was Neuqua’s father. We are their daddy.”

Students from both schools exchanged barbs — taunting with chants, songs and finger-pointing in the ultimate of sibling school rivalries.

But in the Neuqua fan section, there never was any doubt which team would win.

Chicken cooked on the grill at the official Neuqua Valley student tailgate at the Centennial Beach parking lot prior to the game — an upgrade from the sausage of games past.

Hey, it’s a big day, right?

“For the seniors, we have been waiting all our lives for this game,” senior Matt Ciccone said.

More than 100 members of Neuqua’s Gold Rush student section gathered hours before the game to toss around the pigskin, throw bean bags and even play Xbox games from the back of an SUV. They decorated with a blue and gold futon frame and a painting of a beach setting they found in the trash, made over with stick figure portraits of the senior tailgaters.

“We do what we can,” senior Tony Sassorossi said, his likeness displayed flying with some birds.

Some students wore blue mohawks. Other guys were shirtless and covered in blue and gold. There was no concern of who will win.

Although Waubonsie students say taking home the victory isn’t the most important aspect of the match-up, it’s almost impossible not to fall back on the Cubs’ oft-used expression.

“Next year is our year,” Banta said “We have a really young and promising team.”




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

dailyherald.com

[justvote]

This is in no way a slam to Waubonsie, but I get much more geared up for games with Naperville Central & North. They are more "our rivals" as far as true competition goes. There's often been talk that it would be more appropriate for Neuqua to be in the Dupage Valley Conference. I think that would be a great idea. Although it's great to win week after week, I think it would be better all around if Neuqua faced more competitive teams on a regular basis.

[bob]

I would like to see 203-204 conference when the third HS is up and running. It would be 5 teams so we would have to add a couple of others, maybe Bolingbrook or the Plainfield district.

[proschool]

bob said:

I would like to see 203-204 conference when the third HS is up and running. It would be 5 teams so we would have to add a couple of others, maybe Bolingbrook or the Plainfield district.

How will that work when NVHS will be 40% larger than the other two schools?

[bob]

NVHS and WVHS are much larger than the schools in the UE ,right now.

Just the travel savings alone would be worth it.

[doctorwho]

justvote said:

This is in no way a slam to Waubonsie, but I get much more geared up for games with Naperville Central & North. They are more "our rivals" as far as true competition goes. There's often been talk that it would be more appropriate for Neuqua to be in the Dupage Valley Conference. I think that would be a great idea. Although it's great to win week after week, I think it would be better all around if Neuqua faced more competitive teams on a regular basis.

I know this will touch a nerve, but here goes anyway.

1. you're assuming that after HS #3 opens that 'balance of power' stays where it is now and that the 3rd HS will also not be as strong as NV , or that Waubonsie will never return to power in sports. I think that may be a miscalculation. ( and I do not believe the new school will take as long to get off the ground as NV did even - which was relatively short)
-- power balances change - when my daughter ( now a college athlete) was at WVHS, in 4 years they never lost a VB match to NV.

2. All sports count in a conference affiliation - not let's say just football. Are you saying WVHS is not competitive in let's say Soccer ?

3. Splitting the school district ( which will be 3 schools shortly) - for sports reasons is not divisive how ? N.V. cannot join district 203 as much as it seems some would like that to happen.

4. Not a slam on what level ?

[doctorwho]

However just to be clear, I would have little issue with all of 204 ( all 3 schools ) moving from the UE ( just as DeKalb did) ....if there is a conference affiliation that makes more sense. I would love to see 203 and 204 in the same conference with 5 or so other schools ( geographical proximity being a key ) , however I am not sure I can see 203 leaving their rivalries in the DVC....

[justvote]

Doctorwho - will you please take the emotions out of it? I have no “underlying” desire to be a part of District 203. As a relatively new NV football supporter, it is not all that fun to win decisively week after week. I want to see more competitive match ups. Although I do agree that power balances change, NV has won 7 out of 8 match ups against WV. There is more to this than NV just happening to have a stronger team this time around. This is not about WV not being competitive with NV, it’s about the Upstate Eight being a weaker conference, overall.

I like Bob’s idea of having a 203-204 conference, but I agree that 203 probably won’t go for it. There is true rivalry in the DPV, but I don’t feel that in the Upstate Eight.

[bob]

A 202-204 conference is probably the way to go.

We need to get out of the UE.

[warriorpride]

justvote said:

Doctorwho - will you please take the emotions out of it? I have no “underlying” desire to be a part of District 203. As a relatively new NV football supporter, it is not all that fun to win decisively week after week. I want to see more competitive match ups. Although I do agree that power balances change, NV has won 7 out of 8 match ups against WV. There is more to this than NV just happening to have a stronger team this time around. This is not about WV not being competitive with NV, it’s about the Upstate Eight being a weaker conference, overall.

I like Bob’s idea of having a 203-204 conference, but I agree that 203 probably won’t go for it. There is true rivalry in the DPV, but I don’t feel that in the Upstate Eight.

Sorry you're bored at the football games, but as has been mentioned earlier, there are many other HS sports. And, even if NV dominated each and every sport, winning conference every year, which they don't, I don't think that they'd be allowed to be in a different conference than its sister school(s).

BTW, WV gave NV a good game last year. Just because NV won doesn't mean that the game wasn't competitve.

[doctorwho]

justvote said:

Doctorwho - will you please take the emotions out of it? I have no “underlying” desire to be a part of District 203. As a relatively new NV football supporter, it is not all that fun to win decisively week after week. I want to see more competitive match ups. Although I do agree that power balances change, NV has won 7 out of 8 match ups against WV. There is more to this than NV just happening to have a stronger team this time around. This is not about WV not being competitive with NV, it’s about the Upstate Eight being a weaker conference, overall.

I like Bob’s idea of having a 203-204 conference, but I agree that 203 probably won’t go for it. There is true rivalry in the DPV, but I don’t feel that in the Upstate Eight.

The emotion is there because you only included NV moving , not WV or the new school, and that would create a split with part of our school district in one conference and part in another. If you had said for 204 to move out of the upstate 8 - then I would have agreed.

First and foremost the schools are there to educate, and like I said I say that as a parent of a scholarship athlete and another ( hopefully) on the way. So therefore sports should not be a primary reason to join or leave a conference. Proximity and size - sure.

Do I agree the Upstate Eight is a weaker conference in 'most' sports than the DVC - sure, I am not unreasonable. But the last thing this school district needs is to do anything that further divides it's populace.

And I find it funny that you say this is not a WV thing being weaker, yet highlight NV has won 7 of 8. I think you need to decide what the issue is.

Also I really do believe the athletic wealth will see at least some change, potentially a lot, with the advent of the 3rd High School. I've been following sports in this district for almost 20 years and have more than a passing familiarity with most sports 'club' programs and where those kids reside -- the club programs drive most sports like soccer / volleyball /and today even basketball with the AAU teams....

so I wouldn't jump the gun.....and yes the power shifts over those 20 years have changed dramatically in the UE.

Schools like St Charles East for example dominated some sports for quite a while, however when St Charles North opened and that 'base' changed, the fortunes have changed also


Also part of the rivalry problem with the UE is the locations of the schools - I remember travelling to DeKalb and Sycamore also not so long ago for conference games. Hard to have a compelling reivalry with a school 40 miles away.

I also agreed ( besides Bob ) that a 203 - 204 pairing would be great - and natural rivalries as kids live near each other, they play club sports against each other , they play middle school sports against each other etc.....but getting 203 to leave a conference they have been in for a long time likely will never happen.
Adding 202 to 204 would likely be easier...and also be more competitive than the UE is today - but do you think schools with strong traditions like St Charles East are not going to complain about 204 leaving ?

But I would be against anything that would separate our district -

[justvote]

OK - maybe I didn't think this through. I guess there would be major political ramifications if there was a suggestion that the District be split. I honestly didn't think of it in those terms (I'm not as political as many of you are). I was just thinking out loud how to improve the competition. I know there are many other high school sports, and the comment warriorpride about being bored at high school games was irrelevant to the subject matter and rude (and incorrect). It's about playing against teams of similar caliber. WV and NV should both campaign to get out of the Upstate Eight. Creating a new conference is the way to go.

[doctorwho]

justvote said:

OK - maybe I didn't think this through. I guess there would be major political ramifications if there was a suggestion that the District be split. I honestly didn't think of it in those terms (I'm not as political as many of you are). I was just thinking out loud how to improve the competition. I know there are many other high school sports, and the comment warriorpride about being bored at high school games was irrelevant to the subject matter and rude (and incorrect). It's about playing against teams of similar caliber. WV and NV should both campaign to get out of the Upstate Eight. Creating a new conference is the way to go.

Now this I can get behind. I am sorry so many other things come back to the district as a whole, but they do. I hate to call it politics, as I would really like to see a campaign for pride in District 204. Sports go a long way towards healing other wounds sometimes, and I would like to see 204 teams pull for other 204 teams ( except when playing each other) - and build our own tradition of excellence like the perception of the DVC conference schools. There is no reason we cannot do that with the resources that will be in these 3 schools.

The Upstate Eight may not be the most competitve across the board ( but there are some schools who excel in certain sports) - but I see the issue as one of rivalries as you mentioned. The UE schools are so far apart there really is not the rivalry aspect in many things. Ask somewhere where Lake Park High School is for instance, and very few will know. Not a knock against Lake Park - as schools closer to them know exactly where it is. I did not know until I attended a sporting event there when my oldest was a freshman. Yet everyone knows where Bolingbrook / Plainfield schools for instance are located.

There have to be more changes coming as Oswego will also need to add at least one more high school for growth... it will be interesting.

sidenote: Middle school sports play against 203 schools now and in sports like volleyball the championship is for a combined 203-204 - and that is pretty cool. The girls are very cognizant of who the 203 schools are for instance - to date we are 3 - 0 against them with 2 more matches this week....makes for some great rivalries and bragging rights, because many of these girls know each other from club or other sports. I think in football at the high school level it is harder to schedule all other schools around here because the schedule is limited by the relatively small number of games compared to other sports.

[chicoryowl]

justvote said:

This is in no way a slam to Waubonsie, but I get much more geared up for games with Naperville Central & North. They are more "our rivals" as far as true competition goes. There's often been talk that it would be more appropriate for Neuqua to be in the Dupage Valley Conference. I think that would be a great idea. Although it's great to win week after week, I think it would be better all around if Neuqua faced more competitive teams on a regular basis.

I'm going to try not to pile on too much here. This issue taken isn't so much about being political as it is treating Waubonsie Valley as an afterthought.

[warriorpride]

chicoryowl said:

justvote said:

This is in no way a slam to Waubonsie, but I get much more geared up for games with Naperville Central & North. They are more "our rivals" as far as true competition goes. There's often been talk that it would be more appropriate for Neuqua to be in the Dupage Valley Conference. I think that would be a great idea. Although it's great to win week after week, I think it would be better all around if Neuqua faced more competitive teams on a regular basis.

I'm going to try not to pile on too much here. This issue taken isn't so much about being political as it is treating Waubonsie Valley as an afterthought.

Thank you - hence my "rude" comment, which I did not really intend to be any ruder than the somewhat elitist suggestion that NV football (or all sports) be promoted to a conference with "better competition".