Saturday January 14th, 2017 marks the first of two meetings between cross-town rivals Sheboygan South and Sheboygan North. To any outsider this may just seem like another FRCC game but to anybody who has played, coached, or went to these schools, they know the significance. Mr. Troy Gerstner a math teacher at South and a 1988 alumnus said, “I played over 25 years ago and I can’t remember any other games besides the North-South games. Many people say they are just another game but these games are the ones I remember the clearest.”  However, this year the games have are not just significant in the rivalry but are also significant to the rest of the season.

The red hot Redwings come into this game riding a three game conference winning streak and hoping to improve to 4-2 and to emerge ahead of the North High Raiders in the FRCC standings. However, Coach Michael Rank is not treating this game any different based on preperation, “To me it is just the next game, we will stick to our routine and continue to do what we do best. I’m a person who strongly believes in routines. But, I do understand the importance of the game, and that it means alot to so many people in the community and I respect that.” Sticking to their fundamentals was a topic that Rank emphasized when asked what was they keys to the game, stating, “For us it is just a matter of doing what we have improved [on] up to this point, which includes, defense rebounding, playing unselfish basketball. It’s not one individual that we say the ball should go to, and they play and feed off each other during the game.  We’ll have some new wrinkles that we will have to overcome and will need to stick to our routine to help get us through the game.”

The other game of the night features the Lady Redwings as they take on the Golden Raiders. There are no returning South players from last years North-South game, which means a lot of new experiences for this years players. Junior Mackenzie Marver said, “I’m looking forward to my first North/SOUTH game as a varsity player. The last two years the games have been fun, but this is the first time the outcome of the game actually matters. I’ve been watching these games since I can remember and it’s hard to believe now I’m playing in them. Regardless of the outcome, all we can do is our best and I’m so excited to feel the energy.” The South girls are looking to change their season around with a big win against crosstown rival to hopefully steer their season in the right direction.
This is more than a basketball game for many people, it is a time to have fun, be with their friends, and support their friends representing South. Mr. Chris Hien described the game by saying, “The atmosphere is something special and is the best crowd we get all year. I’m looking forward to watching our kids give it all they got for South and hopefully we come out victorious. But, at the end of the day it’s about watching the kids give it all the got and representing South the best they can.”

Girls tipoff is at 6pm, with the boys game following.