With identical records (4-5) and nearly identical spots in the Valley Division and Division 5, Region 17, the Cardinal Huskies and Berkshire Badgers football teams will meet for the 63rd time in their history.
Remarkably for these two schools of similar size who are separated by four miles of Kinsman Road, that all-time record stands at 31-30-1 in favor of Cardinal.
Even though the overall record remains so close, there have been large droughts for both schools.
From 1979 to 1985 the Badgers won seven straight football games by a combined score of 157 to 58.
The second longest streak was a six-year winning streak for Cardinal that began with Middlefield High School from 1956 to 1961.
The only time the two schools tied was in 1974 and Jim Kellogg was on the field.
“It was looking bleak,” remembers Kellogg, who will be the color commentator for the taped game on G-TV, which can be seen on-demand for free at www.geaugatv.org.
Berkshire trailed 6-0 in the fourth quarter before Kenny Creagh, a senior at the time, stripped a Huskies’ ballcarrier and returned the fumble 80 yards for the score.
Berkshire botched the point-after try, keeping the 6-6 tie.
The game this season will be at Burton’s William A. Reed Field, not known for having the best grass in Geauga County. Rain is expected on Wednesday and Thursday, and playing in the mud is something both of these schools are used to this time of the year.
It was business as usual for the Badgers this week under head coach Josh DeWeese, a 1996 Berkshire graduate who understands the rivalry well.
“It’s really not discussed,” DeWeese said of last season’s 57-13 win over Cardinal, the largest Berkshire win over Cardinal in the rivalry’s history. “We’re not in the practice of looking back. We know that will be a motivating factor for them.”
The Badgers have are 4-0 at home and 0-5 on the road. Led by three receivers with more than 20 catches — Emil Hess, Jacob Young and Will Blechschmid — the offense is balanced.
All five of Berkshire’s losses come to teams on the verge of reaching the playoffs, while the wins come against teams with losing records.
The exact same can be said of Cardinal when it comes to strength of schedule and their home and away records. The Huskies have won all four of its home games and lost all five of its away games.Cardinal’s Wing-T offense features many ball carriers. At least six Cardinal rushers have 20 carries or more, led by Kyle Simms and Trey Shirkey.
The Huskies have thrown the ball 56 times this season, while Berkshire has tossed it 191 times with senior QB Joe Hauser.
“It’s challenging to duplicate that Wing-T offense,” DeWeese said. “We have to stay contained and do our jobs.”
The winner of the game is presented with the Kinsman Cup, a trophy sponsored by the Geauga County Maple Leaf.