JACKSON-CAPE GAME ALWAYS BIG RIVALRY

Chaffee resident Pete Bond was one of many Jackson High School fans filling the north bleachers Friday night nearly an hour before his Indians were to take the Houck Stadium field against the rival Cape Central Tigers.

The 78-year-old Bond played football for Chaffee High School but his heart is with Jackson because his grandson, Todd Wessel, plays middle linebacker and running back for the Indians.

Because Jackson and Cape Girardeau are so close together and so competitive, allegiances based on family and friendship are common when the two high schools meet in any kind of athletic competition.

Bond didn't get to see his own children play football for Chaffee High or cheer the Red Devils on because he worked on the railroad for 50 years. But he's almost always there to watch Todd, missing only the away game at Hannibal.

Bond said he was proud of his grandson and his team.

"I love my grandson and I'm picking them to win," he said.

Jeanine Bomar, who had made two posters for the game, would describe herself as a rabid Indian fan. She attends Jackson varsity, eighth-grade, ninth-grade and junior varsity games even though eighth-grade son Shane is her only child involved. Eleven-year-old Jared plays on a Cape youth team.

None of Jeanine and Gary Bomar's older children, all Jackson High School graduates, played football but the parents been fans of the football team for 29 years anyway.

She forecast a 10-point Jackson victory. "I feel sorry for Randy Ray and his prediction," she said, referring to the KFVS sportscaster's pick of Cape Central to win the game.

In the Jackson student section, students Lauren Young, Mark Sander and Tera Huber described the atmosphere at the high school this week as "intense." They especially enjoyed seeing the stuffed tiger hung by the neck out of a window at the school during the week. An arrow was stuck in it.

The students predicted a 14-point victory.

But friendship seems to be stronger than any rivalry. John and Melody Hagans, Jackson fans, were glad to be seated next to their friend Jim Long, who was wearing a Cape Central band booster jacket.

Long claimed not to be a football fan anyway. "I'm a band fan," he said.

The Hagans both graduated from Jackson High School the same year and she's a fifth-grade teacher in the city.

On the Central High side of the stadium, another grade school teacher had dressed her 3-year-old son Luke in a Tiger costume that will also be handy on Halloween.

Kellie Phillips and her husband Mark are both '85 Central graduates. Mark, now a civil engineer, was a second-team all-state guard that year.

Kellie said the allegation that Jackson has stauncher fans than Central does is "totally untrue.

"If we can't be at the game we listen on the radio," she said.

Mark thinks Central has a good team this year but said, "We'll find out tonight."

Central seniors Sara Slaten and Rory Kipper said they were confident of a Central victory.

"We're going to kill 'em," she said.

"We're going to kill 'em," he said.

Jim Allen, who taught physical education in the Cape Girardeau schools for many years before retiring, was not making any predictions.

"They both good ball clubs," he said.

Allen had mixed loyalties because he coached some of the Jackson coaches, including head man Carl Gross and assistant coach Van Hitt.

"It ought to be a good ballgame," is all he would predict.

Central senior Christy Hey, her fingernails painted the team color of orange, sang a soaring rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner." "That's the way it ought to be sung," said one applauding fan.

Jackson nearly broke the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and star runner Devree Flint scored on the second play from scrimmage.

A tripping penalty nullified a long run on Cape Central's first play from scrimmage. Two plays after Jackson got the ball back, Todd Wessel slashed through the middle to score again for Jackson with 8:39 still remaining in the first quarter.

It was the kind of thing to make a grandfather proud.