FEW THINGS CLASH LIKE CENTRAL ORANGE AND JACKSON RED

Former Jackson quarterback Jason Liley let one fly while at Southeast Missouri State University. Liley holds several Southeast quarterback records, including most completions ina game (28,) in a season (220) and in a career (556).

Oil and water.

Republicans and Democrats.

Supermodels and doughnut shops.

Some things just don't go together.

You can add Cape Central and Jackson High School to that list.

When it comes to rivalries, few schools clash like the Tigers and Indians.

There's no logical reason why the fans from each school are so bitter toward each other. It's just always been that way.

Current head basketball coach Brett Reutzel described it well when he said "Anytime you play Jackson, it's like Christmas at Church. You only see some of those people once a year."

Indeed, the meetings of these two teams has become somewhat of a holiday, especially in football.

The annual Cape Central-Jackson football game, a matchup which dates back to 1912, is the undisputed "Big Game" in this part of the state.

"They could make a documentary on it," Jackson coach Carl Gross said before the game in 1998. "It's what high school sports are about. There's some people who are famous for the Cape Central-Jackson football game.

"I don't have to spend a lot of time hanging (motivational) stuff in the locker room. (Fans) will be packed in there as tight as you can push them in. And they'll be four deep around the track, bumper-to-bumper."

Central leads the football series 55-30. The two teams have tied seven times.

The bad blood (whether it be Indian red or Tiger orange) goes back to before World War II.

There was a dispute in 1934 where Central wanted the game to be held in Cape, and Jackson wanted to host it. School officials couldn't agree on the place so the teams didn't play that year.

The most lopsided game came in 1942 when Central pounded the Indians 70-0.

The most total points in a game came in 1988 when Jackson defeated Central 47-42.

The bragging rights seem to have traveled in waves. Central may win the annual game five straight years, then Jackson will win it three years straight. The difference in the overall series record is that Central's waves have been bigger than Jackson's.

Jackson has suffered the two longest droughts, going without a win over Cape Central between 1963 and 1974; and from 1941-1950.

Jackson's longest winning streak is six straight wins from 1914-1920 (They played three times in 1914 and didn't play from 1915-1918.)

Perhaps as entertaining as the games, is the fans themselves. Rooters often attend wearing body paint and as much of their school color as possible. Cape Central fans have tagged Jackson as a "hick town" and Jackson has embraced the label, much like the patriots took to the tune "Yankee Doodle Dandy" when the Redcoats were trying to mock them during the Revolutionary War days.

Usually the rivalry is demonstrated in clean, competitive fun. For example, a few years ago, some Jackson followers printed t-shirts that read on the front: the only intelligent sign in Cape. On the back was a picture of a road sign that said Jackson, 10 miles.

The resentment has gotten out of hand at times, however, and has resulted in various fights and vandalism.