The final hurdle towards a varsity football district title: a battle against the Dakota Cougars.
“It’s a crosstown rivalry. We’ve known these guys since we were growing up and we’ve been talking smack ever since the start of the season,” senior cornerback James McGuire said.
Outscoring the Eagles 142-65 across the last five seasons and winning four out of six matchups, the Cougars remain a fierce competitor. While some view the upcoming district final between the two teams as friendly competition, others see Dakota as not only a rival, but an enemy.
“It’s all the same really– they hate us and we hate them,” senior linebacker Robert Staelgrave said. “The mentality against them is kill or be killed.”
In the last meeting of this heated rivalry, the Eagles beat the Cougars 21-14, followed by a sea of students storming the field in celebration. Despite this big win, multiple news outlets have the Eagles projected as the underdog going into Friday’s district final.
The game takes place on Friday, Nov. 8 at Dakota High School. Tickets can be purchased at gofan.com.
“I love the underdog story,” McGuire said. “We’re gonna show them who should really be ranked higher.”
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