By KEVIN HARRIS
JEFFERSONVILLE – When you think of the Jeffersonville-New
Albany football rivalry, the No. 1 word that comes to mind is intensity.
But there is another word that best describes the gridiron
version of the longtime Ohio River rivalry that might come as a shock to you –
strange.
Yes, the all-time series record does appear normal – New
Albany leads 50-38-5 – for a rivalry that began in 1904 and has had 93
meetings.
However, when you analyze the series, you discover how
volatile of a roller-coaster ride the Jeff-New Albany series has been
throughout its history.
From 1904-1971, the Bulldogs dominated the rivalry.
New Albany posted a 34-0-5 record over the Red Devils during
that stretch. The Bulldogs held Jeff scoreless in 20 of those 39 matchups with
two games ending in scoreless ties. New Albany recorded huge shutouts over the
Devils in 1912 (91-0), 1924 (64-0) and 1929 (72-0).
Jeff only scored in double figures four times in the first
39 meetings with the first coming in 1963, 59 years after the series started.
But the Red Devils turned the tables in the rivalry in 1972
when they finally defeated New Albany 34-0. Bill Griffith, the Jeff head coach at
the time, was carried off Buerk Field by his players in celebration of the
historic victory.
From 1972-2001, the Devils were 30-5 against the Bulldogs
during that stretch that sliced Jeff’s deficit in the all-time series to
39-30-5. The Red Devils won 12 in a row over New Albany in two different
segments – 1972-83 and 1990-99 – during that 29-year stretch.
The Bulldogs reclaimed control of the series from 2002-10.
During that sequence, New Albany took nine of 11 contests with the Dogs
increasing their series advantage to 48-32-5.
But since 2011, Jeff has owned the Bulldogs by winning six
of the last eight meetings. New Albany prevailed at Jeff last season 42-14.
Who knows how many weird twists and turns this rivalry will
take in the future? But I can guarantee the ebb-and-flow nature of the series
will continue to keep people talking about the Jeff-New Albany rivalry for
years to come.
Onto this week’s picks:
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Jeff (2-4, 2-2
Hoosier Hills Conference) at New Albany (3-3, 2-2), 7 p.m.
Old Kev says: The
youthful Red Devils have some players who can make big plays and I expect them
to be fired up to play their rivals. That should keep the game close for at
least the first half.
But as this year’s version of the Jeff-New Albany rivalry
goes on, the more experienced Bulldogs will take over with their powerful
running game and wear down the Red Devils, who have given up more 200 rushing
yards per game this season.
I’m taking the Bulldogs by two touchdowns.
Old Kev’s pick:
New Albany 42, Jeff 28.
Mitchell (5-1) at
Providence (3-3), 7 p.m.
Old Kev says: The
Bluejackets have taken their share of punishment from the Pioneers over the years.
But that changed a couple of years ago when Mitchell won at Providence 16-12. The
Pioneers avenged the 2015 loss last season by winning at Mitchell 35-8.
The Bluejackets have shown the last two seasons that they
have had enough of being the perennial whipping boys in Southern Indiana. But
to me, the jury is still out whether Mitchell can defeat a really solid
program. In other words, it will not be playing Crawford County or Rock Creek –
the pair of opponents the Bluejackets have downed the last two weeks – on Friday
night.
Providence extends its winning streak to four games by
winning a close one.
Old Kev’s pick:
Providence 24, Mitchell 21.
Class 4A No. 9 Silver
Creek (6-0, 5-0 Mid-Southern Conference) at Class 3A No. 9 North Harrison (6-0,
6-0), 7 p.m.
Old Kev says: The
Dragons want this game bad, especially after suffering a 14-13 overtime setback
at home to the Cougars last year. In addition, first place in the Mid-Southern
is on the line and both teams are ranked.
But sometimes a team can get too fired up and lose focus on
what it needs to do to win. That is what I am concerned with Silver Creek. Plus,
this is the first real test for the Dragons this season. On Friday, they will see
how good of a team they really are and how they can handle playing a formidable
squad on the road.
I expect a real physical contest with North Harrison coming
out on top.
Old Kev’s pick:
North Harrison 23, Silver Creek 19.
Class 5A No. 10
Bedford North Lawrence (5-1, 3-1 HHC) at Floyd Central (4-2, 3-1), 7 p.m.
Old Kev says: The
Highlanders hit a huge pothole last week in losing at Hoosier Hills juggernaut
Columbus East 55-7. But it is rare for a Brian Glesing-coached squad in Floyd
to have two bad games in a row even though the Stars are having an awesome year.
Old Kev’s pick:
Floyd Central 27, BNL 23.
Charlestown (2-4, 2-3
MSC) at Corydon Central (0-6, 0-5), 7 p.m.
Old Kev says: The
Pirates win their second game in a row and build some more confidence against
the lowly Panthers.
Old Kev’s pick:
Charlestown 38, Corydon Central 14.
Class 3A No. 10
Brownstown Central (5-1, 4-1 MSC) at Clarksville (0-6, 0-5), 7 p.m.
Old Kev says: The
Generals’ long losing streak lengthens against one of the Mid-Southern’s elite
teams.
Old Kev’s pick: Brownstown
Central 51, Clarksville 13.
Traders Point
Christian (3-3) at Rock Creek (2-4), 7 p.m.
Old Kev says: The
Lions earn second home victory of the season.
Old Kev’s pick:
Rock Creek 24, Traders Point Christian 21.
OTHER SOUTHERN
INDIANA PICKS
Columbus East 48, Madison 12
Seymour 37, Jennings County 26
Salem 33, Eastern 16
Scottsburg 29, Mt. Vernon (Posey) 27
Paoli 41, Crawford County 10
Springs Valley 28, Tecumseh 23
West Washington 31, Perry Central 17
South Decatur 27, Switzerland County 17
Milan 39, Oldenburg Academy 16
OLD KEV’S RECORD LAST
WEEK: 15-2.
OLD KEV’S SEASON
RECORD: 65-17.
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