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| Lois Bradsteet Issacs with son Dusty and husband Roy. |
Can a parent love one child more than another? Is it true that your hometown spirit never leaves you, no matter where life takes you?
Though I’ll talk about football here, I’m talking about much more than a game.
Thirty years ago, Craig Colston was a tenacious member of Lebanon’s football team. Years later, he became its defensive coordinator. He was a Warrior to the core, proudly wearing the maroon and gold, ready to conquer anyone and anything that dared get in their way.
Now? Now he lives across the street from Springboro High School and has been a member of the school board for the better part of the last 10 years. Though he still loves his Warriors, he’ll be on the Panther sidelines Friday night, Oct. 2, wearing blue and white.
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| Rachel Tepe and her dad |
He is one of many people who will be at the Springboro — Lebanon football game with that sort of divided loyalty — that is, reasons to cheer for both sides.
When Craig was playing football for Lebanon, Lois Bradstreet was a cheerleader for Springboro. Years later, she became its cheerleading adviser. She was a Panther to the core, proudly wearing the blue and white, ready to cheer Springboro to a victory over anybody.
Now? Now she lives in Lebanon. She married Roy Isaacs and together they produced a nice young man who’s become an outstanding football and baseball player.
Dustin Isaacs will be the Warrior quarterback tomorrow night whose sole focus will be to make the Panthers miserable.
Lois, ever the quarterback’s proud mother, will be decked out in her Warrior gear. She will not be rooting for Springboro, to be sure.
My, how things change. It’s like seeing a prosecutor become a defense attorney, or a drug addict becoming an effective pastor. Life’s perspective changes considerably.
Bert and Molly (Flynn) Wray are two of the finest basketball players in Springboro history. For a while, Bert held the record for most points in a game (44). Molly, meanwhile, was a member of the ’78 girls’ basketball team that advanced all the way to the state finals.
Molly is a teacher at Springboro High School. But she and Bert live in Lebanon, and their children are Warriors. Who do they root for?
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| Talitha, Craig, Don & Shay Colston |
Mike Holweger is a Springboro teacher who was once the head basketball coach at Lebanon. Jay Rigg, the father of Jake Rigg, Springboro’s starting offensive tackle, was a Warrior football player in the mid-80s.
Tim Tepe is the prosecutor in the Springboro court, so he and I work together there every week. His daughter Rachel will be part of the Springboro Homecoming Court at halftime. Talk about a proud dad. That’s Tim.
But here’s the twist here. Tim and his wife Renae live in Lebanon. Her son Jonathan played football years ago for the Warriors. Meanwhile, Tim’s a coach for one of his grandsons in the Lebanon Pee Wee Football program. He’s a Warrior now. But also a Panther Dad.
Which sentiment rules?
I love this rivalry. It involves two great communities with good kids and good families. Because the towns are only a few miles apart, there is a lot of this overlapping that creates a sense of divided loyalty.
Troy Holtrey, Springboro’s athletic director and boys’ basketball coach, deserves a lot of the credit for bringing this along, for there was a time – even 20 years ago – when Springboro and Lebanon never played one another in anything.
As Springboro grew in size, it got to the point where it could compete with the likes of Lebanon. Since Troy is a former Warrior, he always scheduled a basketball game against his former coach and alma mater.
The basketball rivalry has been big for quite a while now. But football has certainly caught up, as the overflow crowd tomorrow night will prove.
One side will be Panther blue. The other Warrior maroon.
Battle lines will be drawn.
And for three hours, no matter how difficult it may seem or feel to some, there will be no in-between.