www.thedurhamnews.com/2010/09/15/203541/game-just-begins-to-tell-rivals.htmlGame just begins to tell rivals' story
by Bonitta BestFor a moment there, I thought I was at an HBCU football game.
There was tailgating, a reunion of former teammates and rivals, a sellout crowd that could have filled most of Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium, a mile-long line waiting to buy a fish plate and a battle of the bands.
Instead, it was Hillside vs. Fayetteville E.E. Smith.
Both teams entered the contest undefeated, but the game was just a subplot to what the rivalry really means.
HISTORY: The two schools are the last of about four remaining all-black high schools in the state. Greensboro Dudley, which comes to Hillside on Friday, is another one along with West Charlotte. (If I missed one, I'm sure I'll hear about it.)
Back during the Jim Crow era, all North Carolina black high schools played in the N.C. High School Association. The NCHSA folded after integration and so did the Hornets/Golden Bulls rivalry, for a while. But that all changed in the 1980s.
REVIVAL: Durham Public Schools Athletics Director Larry McDonald and former Hillside coach James Lillie got together and renewed the rivalry. McDonald was Smith's football coach at the time. He still remembers one particular game.
"We were up by six points late in the fourth quarter. They [Hillside] got the ball around the 30 and took it down the field behind an excellent quarterback directing traffic. Next thing I know, they're in the end zone for the win."
That "excellent quarterback?" Current Hillside coach Antonio King who earned a scholarship to Howard University but ended up graduating from N.C. Central.
"It has always been a good rivalry between Smith and Hillside," McDonald continued. "Some of those kids even played ball with each other at NCCU."
CONNECTIONS: The ingredient that makes any rivalry special is the people. The Durham connection at Smith is almost as strong as at Hillside. Smith head coach Duran McLaurin was recruited by McDonald to attend NCCU. He played quarterback there. Two of his assistant coaches, Robert Sims and Jonathan Perry, are former Hillside assistants. Not to mention many of the players know each other through summer sports.
"Yeah, it's more than a game," Sims said. "It's great that these two schools deep in tradition volunteered to play each other."
PAGEANTRY: Just like at HBCU games, the halftime show is an integral part of the game. Fans have been known to leave after the band performances.
Normally, visiting teams don't bring their bands but Hillside Athletics Director Bob Hill said Principal Hans Lassiter made the decision.
"This is the first time since I've been AD we allowed a band to come," Hill said. "That puts another cog in the wheel. Those band people are just as serious as the football people."
Indeed. Both marching bands were entertaining, but E.E. Smith showed why it is the state champion.
MORE TO COME: While fans and alumni were enjoying the reunion, the Hornets were taking care of business on the field, prompting former Hillside football coach and hall of famer Willie Bradshaw to exclaim, "This team is the best I've seen in a long time. They have good football players and good coaches."
In another ironic twist, Bradshaw left Dudley to coach at Hillside; a move some Panthers still haven't gotten over decades later. So expect another sellout crowd Friday and next week when cross-town rival Southern shows up. Can it get any better?
"To have all three back to back like that is good scheduling for Durham," Hill said. "For Hillside, we're moving up in our [end-of-grade] scores and we're moving up in athletics. It's going to be real exciting for everybody and great for the city of Durham."
Bonitta Best is the sports editor of The Triangle Tribune. Contact her at editor@triangletribune.com