What's the word on Franklin-Simpson football this year? Are they having problems down there?

I haven't heard of any "problems" going on in Big Blue territory. And even if there were, as a Franklin native with many relatives and friends there, I know enough to know that even if they have a subpar team, they are quite capable of staying on the same field as the Purples. But then, that's the hallmark of a great rivalry, one of Kentucky's best! The game is at the Big El this year, where BGHS only holds a 9-8 edge over Big Blue since 1969. Plus, I haven't heard anything from my good friend macdon, so I'm assuming at this point that things are peachy in Franklin. I honestly think that Warren East, under another good friend of mine, Coach Ben Bruni, could give F-S a run for their money this year, and not because of any "problems"...just that Ben is going to be great for Raider Football!

I know enough to know that even if they have a subpar team, they are quite capable of staying on the same field as the Purples. But then, that's the hallmark of a great rivalry, one of Kentucky's best! The game is at the Big El this year, where BGHS only holds a 9-8 edge over Big Blue since 1969.

Franklin Simpson has beaten Bowling Green 4 times in 20 years. Is that really a rivalry?

Franklin Simpson has beaten Bowling Green 4 times in 20 years. Is that really a rivalry?

 

Texas beats Texas A&M quite regularly over the years, but they still consider it a rivalry! But granted, it's been a while since F-S has really made it competitive. The games from 1994-1999 were superb, and Big Blue did beat us twice in 1999. I don't think that they had any business beating us at the Big El in 1991, but they did 21-15. Something about playing us here really brings out the best in them usually. Remember that I said that the record at Donaldson Stadium/Beard field is led by us, but only by 9-8.

 

I guess call me an old-timer, but in my day, we beat them in Franklin 14-0 in 1974 (Bobby Hays had 21 individual tackles that night!), they beat us in a game here delayed one night by monsoon weather the following year. We were the only team besides Highlands to get over 100 yards rushing as a team on them all year, but we lost in the ankle-deep mud 12-6. We got some payback when I was a senior in 1976, as it was the Doug Beard/Spud Byrd Show. We won 21-20 in a super game. We were both in 2A in 1974, but when the state split into four classes in 1975, we were in State 4A and Big Blue was in 3A. Those games were strictly for area braggin' rights.

 

And I've never heard of anybody at Warren Central intentionally burning a BGHS letter jacket in a bonfire. That happened after a JV game between BGHS and Big Blue in 1960. My big brother participated in it after the game, which he has described as vicious! I never get tired of hearing him talk about that game or the impromptu bonfire afterward!

 

Don't get me wrong...BGHS/Central is very intense, and today's players would rather beat them because they played with and against each other since they were little kids. But I will never be the one to tell anybody in Franklin that F-S/BGHS isn't a rivalry anymore...too many friends and family to get mad at me!! Plus, our players are still reminded each year that Big Blue would rather beat us than anybody else on their schedule year in and year out! And too many times in the history of the rivalry, the underdog got really motivated and beat the team that was supposed to win.