Let the buildup begin.
Next Friday, Dallastown and Red Lion will meet in one of the most hyped editions of this bitter, neighborhood rivalry. We will explore the context of this meeting — whether or not this might be the biggest meeting between these two schools — more during the coming week.
First, a bit of perspective.
After taking a glance through the YDR’s football records, which date back to 1959, I can only find three instances in which Dallastown and Red Lion finished 1-2 in their division in the same season.
- In 1976, Dallastown won YCIAA Division I with a 9-0 record, while the Lions finished in a three-way tie for second at 5-4.
- In 1974, Red Lion won the YCIAA Division B title with an 8-0 mark, while the Wildcats took runner-up at 6-2.
- In 1969, Dallastown won the YCIAA at 7-1, while Red Lion earned a four-way tie for second at 5-3.
As far as recent history? The closest you get is 1993. That year, Red Lion shared the YAIAA Division I title with South Western at 6-1, while Dallastown fnished in a three-way tie for third at 4-3.
Of course, putting a game in historical context is often a tricky task, and if there is anybody out there who would like to chime in on where this game ranks, please do so in the comments section.
In the meantime, you can check out our game stories from this week’s actions. Read about Dallastown’s big fourth quarter against Spring Grove here, and about Red Lion’s thumping of Central York here.
I’d say this one will rank pretty far up there. DTown undefeated, looking to finish strong, and the cross town rival Red Lion standing in the way. Can’t get much better than that. When I played for Dtown in the 80′s, our head coach John Pitzer would always wear his Red Lion varsity sweater to school to fire us up. But we didn’t need that. The rivalry was intense. I rememebr Lee Alwood of Red Lion breaking Sean Pitzer’s forearm as Sean was throwing a half back pass that went for a TD to beat Red Lion one year. That was an exciting game. Both sides always hit each other very hard. The ghosts of all us old Wildcats will be rooting for the 2010 Wildcats. They have a lot to be proud of…and we are proud of them! Good Luck Dallastown!