CASPER, Wyo. — For 61 years, it’s been the talk of the town during the first or second week in October. For 61 years, it’s been a battle of east vs. west. It’s been Batman vs. Superman. It’s been the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object. It’s been Natrona County High School vs. Kelly Walsh High School, and for 61 years, it’s been the rivalry, the matchup, the game to watch. And it’s happening again this Friday, Oct. 10, beginning at 6 p.m.“This game...
CASPER, Wyo. — For 61 years, it’s been the talk of the town during the first or second week in October. For 61 years, it’s been a battle of east vs. west. It’s been Batman vs. Superman. It’s been the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object. It’s been Natrona County High School vs. Kelly Walsh High School, and for 61 years, it’s been the rivalry, the matchup, the game to watch. And it’s happening again this Friday, Oct. 10, beginning at 6 p.m.
“This game is a pretty unique experience,” said NCHS head coach Steve Harshman. “Especially for our kids. Not a lot of kids get to experience this, where you have a town our size, with a rivalry between two schools. This is just a tradition. A lot of tradition, a lot of great history, and a lot of fun.”
In years past, the hubris of the two teams would be matched only by the lengths to which each school would go in order to embarrass their cross-town rivals. These days? These days it’s a little different. The rivalry still exists, the competition is still there, but the kids playing the game realize that even more than winning a football game and being a sports hero is being a hero and setting an example off of the field. And that means respecting each other and showing kindness to each other before, during and after the game.
“A lot of these guys, we’ve grown up with each other,” said NCHS quarterback Kanai Olsen. “We’ve grown up with each other and we’ve played against each other our whole lives. And the biggest lesson we’ve learned is about sticking together, bonding together, and having that drive together. Staying on that grind, you can’t let up.”
Neither team will let up on Friday. They can’t. NCHS is currently 3–3, while Kelly Walsh is 1–5. The Trojans haven’t been able to defeat the Mustangs in a handful of years, but that could all change this year. Kelly Walsh Athletic Director John Sheaff certainly thinks it will.
“I know our kids are going to go out there and give it their all,” he said. “They’re going to play to the best of their ability. There’s no quit in our kids. And there’s no quit with NC either. No quit and you give it your all, and, in this game, they’re gonna give it their all.”
The 61st Annual Oil Bowl is happening Friday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. at the Dick Cheney Alumni Field. It’s the culmination of 61 years of competition, and if there’s one place you want to be this Friday, it’s under those Friday night lights.