As the foggy rays dipped below the distant horizon of mountains, a swarm of cold and inebriated teens lie in wait for that raucous buzzer to start what they know as the game of the season. Now that only a shroud of sunset still illuminated the field, will the storm conquer the grizzly?
On Friday, Oct. 11, the Summit High School Boys varsity football team took down Bend High School with a score of 21-6 in a game players, coaches, students and parents across Bend fervently anticipated.
With kick-off at 7 pm and a tailgate for Summit students, tensions and pressure arose, immediately torn down as players rushed through a sign hand-crafted by Summit cheerleaders. A student sang a quick national anthem interrupted with students shouting “storm” over “brave,” and the game was no longer about sports.
Storm football went in winning and that intimidation played the game for them. Bend showed up but not necessarily out. Was the win predetermined?
Before the opening of Summit in 2001, Bend was the top dog, or in this case, the top bear. With the majority of students in Bend, Oregon attending the school, its domination was in the name. It was Bend’s high school. Sure others existed, but Mountain View was a small, “country” school and no one even considered the existence of private academy sports.
Not only did Bend High’s reign end in 2001, but according to Bend residents, humor and affordable housing also faced its death. Money-soaked development leaked into the Deschutes National Forest and Cascade mountains. Now known as Tetherow, Broken Top and Aubrey Butte, famous athletes, actors and business entrepreneurs moved in and their nepotism flowed into the nearby school. To them, they were the Summit of the town.
Of course, with big houses and big people comes big funding. Sports teams began to get more attention, more uniforms and more over-invested parents. With this money tide came the rise of the rivalry.
“I kind of think that it brings that drive to win and like the friendly banter between friends at different schools too,” said Bend Senior High School student Nathaniel Guthrie.
Twenty-three years later, the two high schools continue their not so friendly tug-of-war.
“I feel like a lot of the rivalry just stems from people not liking people at that specific school, so it’s kind of just like if you beat people you don’t like, then you feel good about yourself,” said Bend High sophomore Caitlin Mingus.
Student sections at games are continuously bashed and banned for offensive and insensitive chants, in the eyes of the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) board. To Bend High students, “daddy’s money” is just a statement of fact with a catchy ball-game tune. Now banned by faculty, the chant targeted both Summit’s advantage— money—and its weakness— parental corruption.
“Honestly the main thing that is the stereotype is the chants and how different each of the schools kind of do the chants, the difference between them and the difference between how people perceive the chants,” Mingus said.
Still, some banter slides past administration. Summit’s notorious game theme “Bear Hunt” can be seen rushing the stands drenched in camo, fur and eye black.
“I love camo out, and I love dressing in camo,” said Summit High senior Claire Coughenour.
It appeared the theme was too clever to where Bend High wore pink in support of breast cancer research. When asked about the most significant aspect of the game, student Ronin Osmon simply liked the color scheme.
“Wearing my fire fit. Let’s see. I got the pink shorts, I got a pink shirt, I got another pink shirt and I got one more pink shirt. I got a pink bandanna and I got a pink hood,” said Osmon.
School spirit was evident, but not merely materialized in attire.
“I’m just savoring the game because it’s my last year of high school and this is our biggest game,” said Coughenour. “I think that it’s always the most fun, we all have a good time.”
It seems spirit and stigma take over the game, to where fans turn their attention away from the actual football on the field unless a player scores in their favor. To high school students and the occasional middle schooler, Bend football is all just fun and games.
“They’ve always been super high energies, super just everybody shows up. Everybody shows out,” said Summit senior Lucie Reynolds.
Between Bend and Summit, it’s war.
