115th Bell Game, state’s oldest football rivalry, set for Friday
Pueblo Central and Pueblo Centennial will play in their annual rivalry game, known as the Bell Game, this Friday. It will be the 115th time the two teams have met.
The game, first played in 1892, is the oldest rivalry in the state, according to CHSAA records.
The 2015 version will be played at Dutch Clark Stadium in Pueblo, with a crowd of close to 15,000 expected. The winner will get the Victory Bell, a railroad bell donated by Lewis Rhoades in 1950. As a result, the game came to be known as the Bell Game.
This season, the game is part of the Great American Rivalry Series, which is showcasing 100 games across the country in 40 states. They will award an MVP trophy, and also recognize the top student-athlete from each school.
The game, which falls on Oct. 2, is the latest the Bell Game has been played since 2010, when Central and Centennial played on Oct. 1.
The two teams have met at least once every season since 1921, the year CHSAA was founded.
Pueblo Central leads the series 55-50-9, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. However, Pueblo Centennial has won the last five games.
Pueblo Central, who plays in Class 3A, is 3-2 this season. Centennial, a 4A team, is 0-4 — though the Bulldogs have played a very tough schedule to open the season, including losses to two ranked 4A teams, and 5A Highlands Ranch.
