Every school has a rival (or two, or three) and around here, Lebanon has Cedar Crest. Period.
The two sports that traditionally mean the most to the respective student bodies, staff and alumni are football and basketball and Wednesday brings the annual renewal of the boys’ and girls’ hoops rivalries.
In some years, a win in that Cedars-Falcons game qualifies as a successful season.
This is not one of those years because both boys’ teams have set the bar high with their early successes (Lebanon is 5-0, Cedar Crest 4-1, with the one loss in overtime). They both have legitimate shots at capturing section titles, qualifying for league, district and state tournaments and winning 20 games. Both girls’ teams are better than they were a year ago and still young.
In this age of social media, you might expect some jabbing to be going on between the players on Twitter, where most of the players have accounts, but that’s not happening, at least not yet.
And here’s why: These players know and respect each other too much and are pretty darn smart too. Check out each school’s honor rolls and you’ll get the picture.
As much as the teams want to win, the players and coaches know that Wednesday’s game will make them better for the tougher games to come in a couple months. They appreciate that, this year, their arch rival also happens to be one of the best teams on their schedule.
A couple of Twitter samples, first from Lebanon’s leading scorer, Jorian Ginnetto:
“Don’t talk (blank) on cc, they are a good team. It’ll be a great game”
“Cc is a good team and we are a good team. Very excited”
And this from Cedar Crest’s Dominic Garloff:
“This might be one of the most talented filled Lebanon vs Cedar Crest games in a while.”
And guess what? In the case of the boys’ teams, and maybe the girls’ too, there’s a chance that tomorrow’s game won’t be the only time they play. A rematch in league or district playoffs is a real possibility this season, and wouldn’t that be great?
If you’re going to the game, the doors at Lebanon High’s remodeled gym open at 5 p.m. (girls’ game starts at 6). A Toys for Tots collection is being taken, so bring along an unwrapped toy or consider making a financial donation. No passes will be honored and there has been no presale of tickets, so it’s first-come, first-served.
If you haven’t been in the Lebanon gym for a couple years, the new bleachers are slightly larger than the former ones.
As usual, WLBR radio (1270 AM) will be broadcasting the games live. Not every town has a station that does as much with local sports as WLBR.
And speaking of Twitter, follow along @sesnyderleb