Page at Grimsley this Friday night is more than a game…..It is an event, a once-a-year get together, a renewal of friendships and kinships, and all-in-all, I don’t know of any other neighborhood battle in the state that can stir up this type of attention, even if the matchup doesn’t hold the same overall win-loss bearing each season…..
This year will be like all of the others….Bigger than Dudley-Smith(although this one made a very nice comeback this year), larger than WS Carver-Parkland, High Point Central-High Point Andrews, Glenn-East Forsyth, WS Reynolds-Mount Tabor and any other meeting in the state you can think of….Year-in, year-out, no matter what the records, the fans will turn out for this football game….Matthews Butler and Charlotte Independence were working on something, but it will not come together on a consistant basis….
This is, “The Game”….It is sort of like the N.C. A&T Homecoming, but it is bigger than that, because the Grimsley-Page game happens so fast and the A&T Homecoming goes on for about a week….(With A&T, the week is bigger than the game itself.)
It is like one big night for Page and Grimsley, “One Shining Moment”, and it is gone for another year…..They do have other activities built around the game, but showing up for the start of the game, the opening kickoff, that is charisma that fuels and lights the fire……It may burn out quickly, but the build-up is HUGE!
The game is an event….On that night, fans will show up at Jamieson Stadium, and many of those fans will not attend another game the entire year….It is like or akin to going to church on Easter Sunday or the church attendance the Sunday before Christmas……That is when the masses show up and they will be there early at Jamieson Stadium on Friday night….
This is more than a game…..It has been a family get together over the years….
Look at the “Family Ties”….
You had Bobby Dunn and Jeff Dunn from Page. Stuart Albright and Ethan Albright from Grimsley.. Todd Ellis and Mark Ellis from Page… Tripp Welborne and Keith Welborne from Page…. Frankie King, Tucker King, and Bill King from Page and Bill is the dad and the others, brothers….. Jeff Smouse and Brian Smouse from Grimsley as a father and son duo…… Ryan Moody and David Moody at Grimsley, in another father-son duo and this time it was Ryan the QB and dad David, the school’s principal…….(Ryan Moody, now QB coach at Ragsdale HS.) There has been Will Newman, the QB at Page and his dad, Lewis Newman, the AD at Grimsley……..You had Donald Moore Sr. and later on his son Donald Moore Jr., both at Page………
This has been a real family institution….The “Family Ties”, are everywhere…..
This Page-Grimsley meeting, really is more than a game. You never know who is going to step up and be the man or star, that comes forward for that “One Shining Moment”, and helps his team win the darn thing……
Just look back from one year ago when Page topped Grimsley 42-14:
Page WR Justin Gorman was really the hero of this game, a virtual unknown becomes a instant Page/Grimsley rivalry legend. This is his first year ever of playing football.
*****Two huge TD catches by Gorman in the game to go along with his other game-changing receptions…..No disrespect toward Justin, but we didn’t talk a lot about him before that game and his name has not come up very often since last year about this time, when he became as the writer above noted, an instant legend….*****(We sure are talking about you now though Justin……)
That is the beauty of this game, you never know who will be the next in line to step and take over this game, much like Justin Gorman did back in 2009….
Will it be a new Donald Moore Jr., who had to kick the field goal twice that year to win it for the Page Pirates? Will it be a Gavin Segall-Abrams, who got a second chance a few years ago and booted the FG through for a Grimsley win? Would it be a Kirk McGuinn, that kicked the FG for Grimsley to win it for the Whirlies over Page in a playoff game, when Grimsley was led by coach Jeff Smouse and GHS hadn’t won one of these games in about 20 years??? How about a new Ron Crawford, the RB that helped Grimsley get a regular season win over the Pirates way back in 1999 and as the crowd rushed the field, we saw police officers charge the football field, riding on bicycles for the first time ever, in an effort to control the fans????? That was a wild night and Grimsley’s Joe Franks can attest to that…..
Who could it be now????? Didn’t The Police sing that tune? Well, it will be more than a game again this year and will we see a new Will Newman, maybe a Carlos Doggett, Antonio Kirkpatrick, John Cassels, Ron Harris, Matt Millisor, Austin Anthony, Haywood Jeffries, John Newman, Mack Jones, Stafford Moser or who knows, who might be next in the long line of Page-Grimsley game heroes…….
One thing is for certain, Page-Grimsley is More than a Game…….
This game will be over by Halftime!
The history of this game means more than the game itself…
I and many others feel that this is,
“More than a Game”….
“More than a game” ….sure but so are all the other rivalries that you menetioned Andy.
Page and Grimsley is a great rivalry with alot of history and tradition, but don’t sell me that it’s THE rivalry, just like all the other rivalrys the passion and intensity level of it rises and falls.
It would be interesting to see however the top-ten most attended high school football games in Guilford County history, Page-Grimsley series would be in there no doubt but I doubt that game would be #1 on the list or even have the most games recorded in the top ten.
you must have been born under a rock. do us all a favor go back there
No game can match the attendance average that Page and Grimsley have drawn over the years….
Smith and Dudley at N.C. A&T drew 18,000 one year, but on average, nothing else comes close to Page and Grimsley…..If they played this game over at Page, you would have fans over on top of Ham’s Restaurant watching with binoculars….
Nothing else in the state comes close to Page and Grimsley “through the years”…….
Year-in, year-out, I have never seen anything like it…..
There were a couple of times, back in the day, when Smith and Dudley were both down, that the series was off quite a bit….Not Grimsley and Page, the crowds always show up…..This is the place to be to see all your old teammates and classmates this Friday night….
Smith and Dudley are back now with the rivalry, but as far as the crowds go, Page and Grimsley never went anywhere….
You may want to check your facts, Hyperbole. The game is always played at Grimsley’s Jamieson Stadium. Every year, this game draws about 10,000 fans. Even when it rained two years ago, about 7,500 fans showed out. Dudley’s and Smith’s stadiums can not fill 6,000 without people standing around. Give Page-Grimsley credit. When they play, the state hears about it. THE rivalry in Guilford County. THE rivalry in the Piedmont Triad.
thanks for getting him straight andy. there is always one in the bunch. when they played or if they even played their rivalry couldnt produce that many people every year. 11,000 to 15, 000 every year. let me buy him a ticket so he can come watch what a rivalry game is like every year. silly rabbit tricks are for kids.
The biggest difference between Grimsley-Page and other rivalries, is that Grimsley-Page is just not a single game played on a Friday night. It is a week long event of planned activities by the students, faculties and alumni of both schools. The week takes on a life of its own and everyone looks forward to this week for months ahead of time.
The golf tournament for example, is an extremely popular event. Many alumni and their family who live outside NC take a week of vacation, fly to Greensboro, rent a car, stay in a hotel, buy gas, eat at restaurants, go to movies and spend their money in the Triad area. The event is a boost to tourism and helps the local economy.
To call Grimsley-Page merely a game would be a tremendous understatement.
We are really just trying to get these facts and numbers straight and can anyone add any other family connections that we may have missed?????
Let’s keep this discussion hopping up until game time or when they sell the last ticket…..
there is also the huge grimsley page golf tournament on friday that brings out a huge crowd to bryan park for a day of whipping the pirates in golf then onto the game. In my household my wife is a pirate and i am a die hard whirlie alumnis. The great thing about this rivalry is that all of us are friends off the field i remember back in the 80’s we would all beat the crap out of each other on the field but also hang out at burger king afterwards as friends. This is the game and will always be the game. GO WHIRLIES and get ready for my 300 yard drives down the fairway on friday.
also andy you forgot to add the greatest punter at grimsley in me, haha
I wonder if Ethan Albright was long-snapping for the Whirlies back in his day and maybe even back in your day Keith?????
Seven Grzeszczak brothers went thru Grimsley. Frank and Bernie were defensive beasts that put a hurting on many Page players in the 1970’s. The family moved after their father died and the youngest brother Matt went to Page, played line-backer and won a state championship.
I remember one of the Grzeszczak brothers and I think it was John….He used to work with us at Tex and Shirley’s Restaurant at Friendly Center while he was in high school at Grimsley….I believe John excelled and exhaled in swimming and diving and he received a diving scholarship to the University of South Carolina…..
I was on the All-You-Can-Eat Pancake scholarship at Tex and Shirley’s and finished them all off in just three years……
Yes, I do beleive that the Grzeszczak brothers and the Tingen brothers all ran around in the same crowd while at Grimsley and the Hanna brothers, George and Bobby never played football, they did play tennis…..
Andy,
Just wanted to add that the Page/Grimsley JV game @ Page will be played at 6:30pm instead of the usual 7pm time.
andy,
i was getting the ball from his older brother judge albright because back then it was the firswt year of 9th graders in high school and they were mostly playing on JV team. I would have liked to have said i started his long snapping career in NFL but he never did snap to me on whirlies varsity team
Just last year Page/Grimsley was ranked one of the top 25 rivalries in the nation through Great American Rivalries Series on IHigh. I’m sure people remember the big football blow up behind the endzone near the field house, as well as the trophy presentation after the game.
Central vs Andrews has just as many people or more than this game, Page – Grimsley may not even be the biggest rivalrey in Guilford County.
u know i agree with fbfan… Page/Grimsley isnt a good (or the biggest) rivalry game when 1 of the teams cant even put up a good fight, for example last year the half time score was what? 14-7 page( dont get me wrong i dont remember really well)? then next thing u know grimsley is blown out of the water with the finial score being 42-14.. so tell me somthing.. is it still THE rivalry in greensboro? or in the triad in general? i dont think its worth calling it a rivalry when someone cant even put up a decent fight
I hate to be a downer but my inside informant let me know that Drew Rogers has been suspended and will not play on Friday night. I hope that they let Davonte Hooker get a chance to show his skills.
I hate what happened with Drew but I still think Page will come away with a win. They have so many offensive weapons.
Keep your head up, Drew! I saw what you posted on your FB page and I really believe you learned from your mistake!!!
You guys are merely going by Grimsley’s sub par past two seasons and not really understanding the history between these two teams! It’s not JUST a game! It has grown to so much more and the kids (from both schools) get caught up in the week long hype leading up to it. It’s not just the game that makes the memories…it’s everything that encompasses it.
Sure, Grimsley might be in an “off” season..who would’ve “thunk’it..just like…..who would’ve ‘thunk” Smith would be 7-0???
Don’t go gettin’ your panteez all wet for the pirates,it may be a closer game than you could imagine . . . can you say . . . .upset without crying? Believe or not !
Underdogs,
WHY?
Why do you need to broadcast something like this over the internet. If you know the situation then why can’t there be some kind of etiquette where you just say that the kid ain’t gonna be able to play Friday without mentioning the details.
I mean, if your son had been suspended for any reason would you want another parent coming on this site broadcasting this information? I think its just common courtesy that we look out for each other’s kids while they play together on the same football team.
This is the second questionable post that you have made regarding the call-out of the Page players. If you truly support the Pirates, which I believe that you do, then before posting something about another player, why dont you pretend to be their parent and see how that might make them feel when they see your posts.
BTW, I expect a huge game from Thuc Phan. If Devante gets in as well, then I expect him to carry the rock hard to the endzone too. I know them Page rb’s have Drew’s back for this game.
@ Posted by Underdogs Unite–
I understand and respect your opinion. I sincerely do. However, I don’t recall mentioning the specifics as to his suspension which resulted in his inability to play. If you’r upset by me merely mentioning the suspension, well then call me out on that which by the way is public knowledge. What I didn’t do was to sugarcoat the situation, also–incouraged him to accept responsibilities and learn from his mistake.
We know how it works–teenagers sometimes don’t understand the repercussions of their actions. I’m glad he (Drew) understands what he did and learns from it.
I did not nor will I ever degrade Drew. I’ve known him and his mother for quite some time and if my son would do something similar to what he did, as a person that sincerely cares for his well being, I’m sure Drew’s mother would offer her stern but sincere words of encouragement to him.
Sometimes, I DOES take a village…….
As far as a second “questionable post?” look–it is what it is. I know the post your referring to and quite simply, it was MY opinion.
As far as a message board, people offer their opinions. Either you can agree, disagree or, agree to disagree. At the end of the day, that’s life.
Underdogs,
Understood, but not everyone in Greensboro looks out for Drew’s best interest; therefore, when you make his situation public knowledge or you share your opinions about another player being selfish, then rest assured there are going to be plenty of people to draw assumptions of these kids without knowing them. I doubt you meant any harm to Drew, but I just believe there are some things that dont need to be shared with the whole Greensboro community. If he wants to write and tell his friends stuff on Facebook, then that is on him, but I just dont see the point of spreading it on here.
I know who your son is, and he is a good kid, but I would hate someone else posting something that was their opinion of your son that could influence what others in Greensboro possibly think of him without knowing him.
So, with all this, let me just say that I will agree to disagree with your opinions of the one player being selfish, as well as agree to disagree that there are some things that just shouldn’t be posted on here.
The coaches will have a good handle on what goes down on Friday night….We will all be ready for a big emotinal game, but the coaches on both sides will be to work thorough all of this and they will have their players focused and ready….
“knowledge or you share your opinions about another player being selfish, then rest assured there are going to be plenty of people to draw assumptions of these kids without knowing them”
______________________________________________________________________
I totally understand what you’re saying/typing–especially after reading this comment.
I appreciate the constructive critisim and will be positive (in the future) to choose my words a little more carefully. In hindsight, I could’ve chose different words or even omitted the “S” word altogether.
Again thanks and in closing, please understand that this was in NO way meant talk down against what I positively KNOW is a good kid!!!
Drew not playing in this one won’t change the outcome of the game. Page still has 2 very solid runningbacks in Thuc Phan and Devonta Hooker. If anything this mishap will just allow his fractured little finger to heal more. A 3 week rest.
Make that 3 RB’s when you add in QB/RB James Summers…..
Tuc and Devonta very solid/steady and for Tuc as a senior, he wants this to be his best-ever Page-Grimsley game, but if I am playing or coaching against Page, the man that concerns me the most is Summers….Saw Hooker on the JV’s last year, another very capable back…..
just reading this blog has gotten me very upset. i would like to say to you underdogs unite you have some one that plays on the team (son) is it really necessary to put page personal information out there? remember these are kids not grown ups. what you said about james summers really pissed me off . he is not selfish and its not about him at no times. he is a player, and a damn good one. stop your nonsense before some one finds out who your son is and then you have bigger problems with players on that team with your son. you were bias and thats not fair to that kid. i am glad he called you out and guess what i am calling you out too. enough is enough. if you cant say something positive about these kids dont say anything at all. and just to think page has a really good football team ,they dont need this crap from some one close to this team.
You have taken this way to the left. I acknowledged that I should’ve NOt put the “S” word out there!
The bigger picture is—If our children (mine included) do something that there may be repercussions for, I as a parent don’t have an issue if another parent, teacher or responsible adult who HAS HIS BEST INTEREST at heart will take the time to reiterate the positive that I try to instill in him.
Too many times we glorify these kids to a point that they’re not totally grounded and sometimes cannot see the that there won’t always be a slap on the wrist and you may not get off scott free simply because you’re an athlete.
You’re bringing up something that I commented on maybe TWO weeks ago??? So you’ve been pissed off sitting….waiting to pounce? LMBO!!! If it bothered you so much then, if you would’ve addressed it with me THEN; maybe we could’ve come to a peaceful understanding.
Don’t travel too deep with this. I am not now or will EVER be a parent that will allow my child to travel this life with rose colored glasses.There will be some that has my child’s best interest at heart and then there won’t be. At the end of the day, in teaching him to one day be a man, hopefully, he’ll be able to differentiate between the two.
Thanks Andy for allowing me to post my view(s).
Stop talking watch the game and im sure what ever the outcome page is in for a big surprise. Grimsley has talent but they just havent been able to be explosive on the offensive side of the ball. But maybe friday with another outstanding perfomance by the defence maybe we can find that spark we’ve been waiting for but when it happens grimsley will be a tough team to beat.
Page JV had a great game tonight against Grimsley Putnam led the pirates to a 46 – 0 halftime score. Second and third string offense and defense put in second half. They also did a great job. Final score 46-14. These next generation pirates have a lot of talent.
GO WHIRLIES!!!
Good to see Jamos back in the house…..We haven’t seen or heard from him in a while….Welcome back to house and it’s good to have you back in the neighborhood…
typical whirlie loss… when will these boys buckle down, and step there game up to win some football games.. these jv players tell u a lot, whether if the varsity team will be good in 2-3 years