From the day I moved to Adrian in August 1983 it was drilled in my head that the team we wanted to beat most was the Midway Vikings. Stories were shared of games played before I was even in high school on how the Vikings had ripped the heart out of the team. One was a 2-0 game decided on a safety. Another was how Adrian had very strong teams in the late 70's and early 80's that were on the outside of the playoffs looking in while Midway amassed numerous state titles. Both teams have established a rich history of winning and each place particular importance on this yearly matchup. It is often referred to as "The Game" or "Midway Week".
Midway is still led by Larry Burchett who, I believe, is second only to George Bruto for all time wins in Class 1 football. Bruto was inducted to the hall of fame a few years ago and I'm sure Burchett will take his place beside him as soon as he retires. You can't think of Adrian vs Midway without thinking of Bruto vs Burchett.
There will many dads watching from the stands as their sons carry on the legacy tonight when the Midway Vikings travel to Adrian to take on the Blackhawks. Midway is ranked #7 in the state with victories over Osceola and Archie. Adrian lost to Butler to open the season but spanked Drexel in week #2. This could be week 8 with one team undefeated and the other running the table in reverse and 99% of the time it's a pretty close game. There have been occasions of one team beating up on the other pretty bad--rivals want to do that when they have the chance, but the games are usually very close games with the outcome coming down to just a couple of plays.
Bob Neely shared his favorite memory of Midway week. "Semifinal game in the fall of 1987--we were down at halftime and came back to beat the Vikings 16-12 and headed to the state championship game (for the first time in team history). The team only gave up 50 points in the regular season. Tim Cox gave me a plastic hat with horns that I wore after the game...pretty sure I gave that hat to Rhett Zellmer or Joe Clark--fun times! We may have lost to Midway once in the next six years. Doubt it, though. Blackhawks took that game pretty serious!"
Randy Reed recalled some games he played in the mid 90's. "In 1994 we went to Midway, who we had beaten 3 straight times all 30-something to 0. We pulled in to see they had tried to make it look like we had spray painted graffiti all over their press box. The only problem is it read "ADRAIN rules!". See the issue? By the way, we still beat them for the 4th straight time 36-0!"
I graduated from Adrian in 1987. I despised the purple and white. I was annoyed that their head coach, Larry Burchett, would always mispronounce my name at track meets as "Byuris" with an emphasis on the "Y" even after I corrected him. I even looked at their players with unreasonable disdain. I had nemesis's such as Yahnig and Wright lined up on the other side of the field. Truth be told there was a slight bit of fear of getting blindsided by Brent Yahnig as I caught a pass. More than one time the ball hit my had a split second ahead of his shoulder pads hitting my exposed rib cage.
Funny thing about high school rivalries...you end up growing to be friends, room mates and even on the same coaching staff. You learn that the parents and players for the other side are really good people. But for that one night they are the enemy and must be dealt with accordingly. Tonight let's cheer on both teams and appreciate the rivalry the two teams have. It's what makes high school football great.
Midway is still led by Larry Burchett who, I believe, is second only to George Bruto for all time wins in Class 1 football. Bruto was inducted to the hall of fame a few years ago and I'm sure Burchett will take his place beside him as soon as he retires. You can't think of Adrian vs Midway without thinking of Bruto vs Burchett.
There will many dads watching from the stands as their sons carry on the legacy tonight when the Midway Vikings travel to Adrian to take on the Blackhawks. Midway is ranked #7 in the state with victories over Osceola and Archie. Adrian lost to Butler to open the season but spanked Drexel in week #2. This could be week 8 with one team undefeated and the other running the table in reverse and 99% of the time it's a pretty close game. There have been occasions of one team beating up on the other pretty bad--rivals want to do that when they have the chance, but the games are usually very close games with the outcome coming down to just a couple of plays.
Bob Neely shared his favorite memory of Midway week. "Semifinal game in the fall of 1987--we were down at halftime and came back to beat the Vikings 16-12 and headed to the state championship game (for the first time in team history). The team only gave up 50 points in the regular season. Tim Cox gave me a plastic hat with horns that I wore after the game...pretty sure I gave that hat to Rhett Zellmer or Joe Clark--fun times! We may have lost to Midway once in the next six years. Doubt it, though. Blackhawks took that game pretty serious!"
Randy Reed recalled some games he played in the mid 90's. "In 1994 we went to Midway, who we had beaten 3 straight times all 30-something to 0. We pulled in to see they had tried to make it look like we had spray painted graffiti all over their press box. The only problem is it read "ADRAIN rules!". See the issue? By the way, we still beat them for the 4th straight time 36-0!"
I graduated from Adrian in 1987. I despised the purple and white. I was annoyed that their head coach, Larry Burchett, would always mispronounce my name at track meets as "Byuris" with an emphasis on the "Y" even after I corrected him. I even looked at their players with unreasonable disdain. I had nemesis's such as Yahnig and Wright lined up on the other side of the field. Truth be told there was a slight bit of fear of getting blindsided by Brent Yahnig as I caught a pass. More than one time the ball hit my had a split second ahead of his shoulder pads hitting my exposed rib cage.
Funny thing about high school rivalries...you end up growing to be friends, room mates and even on the same coaching staff. You learn that the parents and players for the other side are really good people. But for that one night they are the enemy and must be dealt with accordingly. Tonight let's cheer on both teams and appreciate the rivalry the two teams have. It's what makes high school football great.
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