Which is the best rivalry football game? Not biggest, but best?
Seaside vs. Monterey?
Carmel vs. Pacific Grove?
Salinas vs. North Salinas?
I think it's San Benito vs. Palma. And I'll tell you why. Name another team in this area that has had as much success against the Chieftains as San Bentio?
The Balers have a chip on their shoulder when they play Palma. It's a battle, seldom one-sided.
And it goes back to both teams' days in the MTAL and MBL.
John Devine has been writing about high school sports in Monterey County since, well, practically since he was an athlete at King City in the days just after leather helmets. In PrepNation, John has even more in-depth analysis of the latest results and news he's brought to you in The Herald and in his weekly videos.
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1 comment:
John...The numbers sure bear you out. (I feel sort of Watkins-like.)
In the past 10 years, PG has won 7 Shoe Games and Carmel has won 3. Just three of those ten games were decided by a touchdown or less, while six were blow-outs won by 21 points or more.
Over the same 10 years, Seaside beat Monterey 9 times. Three of those 10 games were close games won by a touchdown or less, while five games had a margin of victory between 8 and 21 points...and only two were blow-outs of 22 points or more.
Since the start of the 2000's, Salinas has defeated North Salinas 6 times and lost 4 times. Again, just three of the 10 contests were decided by a touchdown or less, while 5 were blow-outs with a margin of victory of more than 21 points.
But when it comes to Palma and Hollister, Palma has won 7 games and lost 3 in this rivalry going back over the last 10 years. EIGHT of the ten games were decided by 7 or fewer points and only once in the past decade has the margin of victory in a Hollister versus Palma game been over 21 points. Even more impressive is that 4 of the 8 close games were decided by 3 points or less.
Interestingly, in three of the rivalries (PG-Carmel, Salinas-North Salinas and Palma-Hollister) there has only been one shutout in their last 10 games against each other. Only the Monterey versus Seaside rivalry has had more than one shutout (and there were just two shutouts) in the past 10 years.
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