We chanted. We jeered. Until our throats were sore and we could make no more sound.We stood together. We turned our backs. We danced as powderpuff cheerleaders. We threw a football. We played in the big game, we played in the band, we stepped with the step team.

Whether it was our first or our last Red/White Week, or somewhere in between, we were united as more than a school- we were a family. United by that one goal of getting the barrel back. United through Ramstock, the theme days, the cancellation of the carnival and the kickball tournament, the postponement of powderpuff and the burial of the bulldog. We stood together through it all, to the bitter end, and through a very rough loss.       

The lines of the rivalry don’t separate relationships. RedEye featured a girlfriend from Manual and her boyfriend from Male, a sister who graduated from Manual and her little brother who just started at Male, and two friends from Manual and their best friend who goes to Male. Hear all of their stories here.

For decades, siblings, parents, cousins, best friends and significant others have found themselves on opposite sides of the Old Rivalry, and RedEye decided to highlight three examples.

Boyfriend & Girlfriend

Marisa Blakey is currently a junior at Manual and Dallas Douglas is a sophomore at Male.

The couple meet at a very young age in kindergarten, but became friends in middle school and didn’t start dating until Blakey started Manual in the fall of 2014.

Despite the rivalry between their schools, Dallas and Blakey didn’t want to keep their relationship under wraps.

“I haven’t ever tried to keep it a secret,” Dallas said. “If anybody asked me if I were going out with her, I would tell them that I am.”

Marisa and her family were very familiar with the Old Rivalry since she knew many people from both schools.

“My parents didn’t have a problem with the rival schools just because my brother goes there and I have a lot of family that went to Male even though my mom went to Manual,” said Blakey.

The couple both agreed that the spirit weeks going on at each school will not affect their relationship and that everything will be normal between them no matter who wins the game on Friday.

Brother and Sister:

Tejah Moore graduated from the HSU magnet at Manual last spring and her younger brother Tyren started school at Male this fall.

Manual was always Tejah’s dream school to go to, and she is very proud to call herself an alum.

“Just know that when you graduate, the rivalry will not end,” Tejah said. “Once a Crimson, always a Crimson!”

Tyren plays football and basketball for Male and has loved the school spirit so far.

“This is my first year of experiencing the rivalry for myself.” Tyren said. “Tejah had always dressed up and supported Manual, but it’s my year now.”

Tejah and Tyren’s mother Tanya Dow is a huge Male fan now that her daughter no longer goes to Manual.

“Honestly, it hurts my feelings how much my mom loves Male,” Tejah said, “She already has sweatshirts and she loves sitting with the other football moms.”

Tejah supports her brother at as many games she can go to, but never will she ever cheer for Male. Instead Tejah will only cheer for each individual players such as her brother and his friends throughout the game.

Tyren is excited to go to his first Old Rivalry game as a Male student in hopes to keep the barrel at Male, while Tejah hopes that Manual will finally bring the barrel back home.

Best Friends:

Brock Cassin and Brent Williams are both currently seniors at Manual while Jack Cameron is a senior at Male. Jack has been friends with Brock for years but recently met Brent last summer.

The Old Rivalry does not get in the way of their friendship.

“We really just talk about the game and we joke on each other but it’s never as hectic as both schools get,” said Cameron.

The rivalry is the only thing that keeps them from watching the game on the same side.

“At the Male-Manual game we sit on opposite sides, but at other games he’ll come over to the Manual side and I’ve been to Male games before,” said Cassin.

They all have a strong friendship but that doesn’t stop them from staying true to their school. “We’ll probably just trash talk because that’s all he does,” said Williams.

                           —

Last year RedEye featured people who lived around Manual Stadium, and what it is like to live there the night of the game. So this year, the same was done with people who live around Male’s stadium. Hear some of those people’s stories here.

Every year thousands of students, teachers, parents and alums go to watch the annual Male/Manual rivalry football game at the end of October.

The game annually switches between being held at Manual Stadium or Male’s stadium, and this year, it’s being held at Male’s stadium.

While most people find it pleasant to go and cheer for the red and white, or purple and gold, the community surrounding the stadium may have some other opinions.

Dayna Goodlett, who has lived in the the area of Male’s stadium for over 20 years, said that because of the Male/Manual game, she and her husband sometimes have to leave their home.

“Sometimes we just leave the neighborhood,” she said. “We might go out to eat or something, or go out with friends.”

Whenever they are home for the game, however, Goodlett and her husband sometimes watch it.

“I don’t go into the stadium, I just kinda watch from the street,” she said. “We can actually see the scoreboard from my deck.”

Despite her mother and father both graduating from Manual, Goodlett doesn’t really favor one team or the other, although she says that she’d probably support Male.

Bradley Lucas, who has lived in the area for two years, said that he’s not very interested in the Male/Manual game.

“I don’t really go up there anymore,” he said. “I went last year, haven’t really gone this year.”

Bradley also doesn’t stay around during the Male/Manual game, usually going to his brother’s house during the time of the game.

When he is home, he says that he doesn’t find the game that irritating.

“People are nice,” he said. “Sometimes I get some money for letting people park here.”

“ The last couple of years my son and I have gone to the games,” he said. “I hadn’t been to one since 1959.”

Oberhausen said that it was tough to live behind Male because he didn’t want to have to see Male play every Friday night.

To him, it’s always been a huge deal when Manual plays Male.

“Manual stadium back then was the biggest place to play in the city,” he said.

Bud is still very involved with the Manual community, with his granddaughter just graduating from Manual last year.

The Male Manual football game will be this Friday at Male stadium at 7:30.

[Editor’s note: Last year, we also met some of the people who live around Manual Stadium in Germantown.]

Ramstock, a student-body battle-of-the-bands competition, took place in Manual’s courtyard after school until 4:00 p.m. Monday kicking off Red/White Week.

The band that receives the most votes by the Manual student body will have the chance to play at Manual’s pep rally.

Mercedes Kephart (12, HSU), the president of Executive Council, Manual’s school-event planning club, helped to choose the Ramstock chair.

“I think it’s important because it brings us together as a community. It’s the first day that we all have an event to go to during Red/White Week that people seem to enjoy with live music and free food,” Kephart said.

Executive Council members began planning for the event about a month in advance, the chairperson for the Ramstock committee is Callie Nichols (11, MST).

“My role is to view the auditions, get the public relations people to get the word out, organize [what bands] go in what order, make sure we have all the materials we need, and really just connect everything together,” Nichols said.

Nichols also said that Ramstock holds importance in starting the week off positively.

“If Ramstock goes well, it just sets off the celebration mood,” said Nichols.

Executive Council advisor, Mr. Morris (Math) said, “I think Red/White Week is all about celebrating Manual and all the things we bring to the table. We are just really celebrating the culture and love for the school.”

Morris said that Ramstock is very unique to Manual and he would like to see other schools participate in something similar.

“I think Ramstock is just our big kickoff party. It’s a huge value to have an event that starts the week off with a bang and to start the week off where we’re gathered together hanging out, eating free food and listening to great bands perform” Morris said, “I think it has tremendous value, we definitely want to keep Ramstock apart of Red/White Week.”

The musical groups that participated in the musical event were Spaghetti Western, Millennials, Spur of the Moment, Safety in Numbers and Bad Racket.

Alex Thibodeau (12, MST), the lead guitarist for Spaghetti Western, said that Ramstock is a really fun opportunity for his band to participate in.

“We’re all in love with music. We’re combining our passion and love to inspire people to use their talents to let their ideas be heard and expressing themselves,” Thibodeau said.

The Crimson Chords, Manual’s A capella group, sang pop songs between the acts.

“Ramstock means a lot to get some kids’ bands off their feet, to show off and show the school what they have to offer to people,” Morris said.

Three of Spaghetti Western’s members are students at Eastern High School but performed with Alex Thibodeau this year at Ramstock.

Eli O’Neal, a senior at Eastern, said that playing with his band at Ramstock was an exciting experience because of the distinct “student culture” at Manual.

“It was kind of cool seeing just the different culture that Manual has,” O’Neal said. “I feel like it’s a lot more open here.”

Many of the student viewers said that they enjoy how Ramstock provides a space for the school’s community.

“I like coming to listen to the music and to see how talented our students are,” Laree Shontee (12, HSU) said. “I also like hanging out with my friends and the community at Manual.”

Katie Watkins (10, HSU) said that Ramstock gives her an insight to what kids at Manual are doing outside of school.

Students are anticipating the week to come.“We’re building up to beat the Bulldogs. A good Ramstock means a good rest of the week,” Nichols said.

—

The history of the tradition of the burial of the bulldog is not known to many people even though it is celebrated every year. This year RedEye believed it was a good idea to explore it and see what everything was about. Hear the story of the first burial of the bulldog here.

A picture of a bulldog sat amidst black-garbed students gathered around the steps of Center Hall as the squeal of bagpipes faded away. A grim reaper stood in the middle of the mass.

With a feigned Southern accent, assistant principal Greg Kuhn preached the eulogy of Male High School’s mascot, the bulldog: “The fact that we must no longer bear her company is a sure sign of God’s magnificent love for us all.”

Laughter followed Kuhn’s taunts.

By the end, the crowd started chanting. Arms pumped in the air as the students cheered: “All my life I wanna kill a bulldog.” The chanting finally ended with a roar of applause.

This was the Burial of the Bulldog in 2014.

Doomsday has been an annual event during the week of the Male/Manual game for years. Currently, the Thursday of Red/White Week is when Doomsday occurs, but it has not always been that way.

In the beginning, the Wednesday of Thanksgiving week hosted the first burial on Red and White Day.

L.J. “Butch” Charmoli, the athletics director in the 1950s, founded Red and White Day. Mr. McDaniel, the alumni coordinator at Manual, wrote that “it was a singular event through tenures of principals.”

It wasn’t until the 1980s that Red and White Day became Red/White Week.

Before Kuhn started reading the eulogy, former students preached the eulogy.

Larry Frederickson, a retired Manual teacher, returned to the school on Doomsday to play the bagpipes.

For the past eight years, Kuhn has written the eulogy, but he ad libs parts of it. He said that he tended to write them with a “funny theme.” This year he is thinking about going with a “James Brown theme,” but believes he may just wing it.

Manual alumna Laura Spiegelhalter, who is also Executive Council advisor, said that as far as planning goes, “we tell everybody to wear all black, and we bury the bulldog.”

She said that Executive Council begins Doomsday preparations as soon as the first week of school.

When Spiegelhalter attended Manual, she stated that it was “exactly how it’s like now.” It was on Thursday of Red/White Week.

But “there was no eulogy. We sang songs and did chants,” Spiegelhalter said.

—

Check out this years CSPN GameDay and the 2016 Manual v. Male hype video below.

Crimson. White. Purple. Gold.

Bright lights. Deafening screams. Crimson Crazies. Dawg Pound.

It’s the night everyone has been anticipating for a year. The rematch of one of the biggest—if not the biggest—rivalries in the state. This isn’t your average football game; too much is at stake. First, there’s bragging rights for a whole year, but most importantly, there’s the barrel. The barrel that has been stripped from our school for the last three years. The barrel that this senior class wants back more than anyone because they were the last class of students at Manual to have possession of it.

It takes a certain team with a certain pedigree to win the barrel. This year Manual has what it takes. Manual has the Triple Threat: Jaelin Carter (11, 12), Sean Cleasant (98, 12), and Bryce Cosby (7, 12). And these boys are ready to take back their barrel.

It’s 2014: sophomore year. It’s a cool, crisp fall night with a strong wind. The crimsons are down 21-0. It seems that all hope has been drained from the boys and the student section. It’s second down and Manual is running a slant play. Jaelin (Byrd) Carter explodes down his route, but he takes a huge hit from the Male defense. He’s hurt. He knows it. But his boy Bryce believes in him. He knows Byrd can do it. Byrd lines up again, except this time, he has some chump who he knows can’t guard him one-on-one. Byrd straight beats the dude off a sprint with a sharp cut back, snags the ball out of the air and hauls it into the endzone, scoring the first touchdown of the night for the Crimsons. The crowd immediately regained their spirit, bursting into screams and chants of “I believe that we can win!” Despite this great play and moment in time, the Crimsons would still go on to lose this game.

For these boys, football is more than a sport. It’s a brotherhood, it’s a way of life—it’s the only way. They have been by each other’s side day-in and day-out for about four years now. From summer camps and conditioning to a run at state, they have been there for each other since day one.

“I started playing when I was four or five in a flag football league for the YMCA. My dad was the coach, but I started playing because it runs in my family. My mom and my dad were always involved in some type of sport, or I always had some type of sport going on around me, so it was just what I knew at an early age,” Cosby said.

Despite the immense talent each one of these athletes possess, they would be nothing without their family, their coaches and most importantly their mothers.

“My mom provides the most support for me through thick and thin. She’s always at every game supporting and cheering. Even if she hasn’t had the best day, she’s still doing everything she can to support me,” Cleasant said.

According to the Triple Threat, their moms provide never-ending support and are all strong, independent women who have set them on the straight and narrow path to help them get through all struggles they face. Other family members have also had an important role in crafting each of these young men into the people they are today.

“My aunt has just helped out my mom a lot by taking care of me. She’s been there every step of the way, and my dad has just tried to keep me on a straight path and help me become a better man and football player every day,” Cosby said.

“My dad encourages me in everything I do, especially football, because he didn’t make it due to having children. I feel like I can do this for him,” Carter said.

Coaches have also had a strong impact on each of these players. Considering the fact that these boys spend about 12 hours per week with their coaches, they develop an unbreakable bond, a family like-bond so to say.

“Coach Lucas was a big impact in my life as he helped me get to and from practice and helped me with schoolwork and grades. Manual has provided me a house,” Carter said.

Manual is more than a place to just go to school; Manual is a safe haven from trouble and anything that could hurt their futures. Manual has given each boy a home away from home: somewhere where they can socialize, compete and better themselves academically to be the best possible people they can be.

“When I’m not at Manual, I’m not doing anything. Manual is a place where me and my brothers can do what we love,” Byrd said.

“Manual has provided me a great environment; it’s very diverse, and people are very enthusiastic. Everybody supports you academically and athletically. Teachers wanna see you do good on and off the field,” Cosby said.

“Manual has provided me with a good education, being one of the top educational schools in the country, you feel me? It’s good on resumes when you apply for college,” Cleasant said.

Football is more than just a game to these athletes. Football is the foundation to life lessons. It is the stepping stones along the path of manhood. Just like all sports, football instills characteristics in a person that you can’t get from anywhere else. Football has taught how to handle the struggle of adversity, how to compete, how to lose, how to pick yourself up, how to have teamwork skills and so much more.

“The biggest life lesson football has taught me is: “No matter how hard you get knocked down, you still gotta get up and continue fighting another day. If you can look up, you can get up,” Cosby said.

“Football has taught me discipline and how to stay humble because there’s always someone bigger and better,” Cleasant said.

“Football has taught me to take care of myself mentally, be a better person and manage my time. Always keep your family and friends first because they’re there for you when you’re down,” Carter said.

Football has also taught these boys to dream and to reach for the stars. Each of them will be playing football at the collegiate level. Cosby has committed to play for Ball State University, Cleasant has committed to EKU and Carter has several offers, but at the moment he is still undecided. They all also aspire to someday play in the league and make it big time.

“I’d like to ball out and make some money,” Cleasant said.

So, what does the senior-year Manual versus Male game mean to the Triple Threat? It means one last shot to go out and do their thing. It means one last time to play in one of the greatest rivalries in America. It means some final memories being made. It means the end of an era is near. It means it’s their time to grind.

“It means a lot. We haven’t had the barrel in three years. [During] my freshman year, we had the barrel, so senior year we gotta get it back. You know I gotta go out with a BANG!” Cleasant said.

In order for the Crimsons to come out with the win this Friday and to return the barrel to its rightful home, they have to be able to go out there and play for four quarters. They need to all be on the same page, and everyone needs to be performing at their absolute best. The team energy needs to stay up, and the upperclassmen need to step up and act as leaders to guide their younger brothers into battle. It also takes trust. The team has to be able to rely on one another and hold each other accountable for each and every play; they cannot afford to take any plays off.

“I think [after] playing four quarters, we’ll come out with the barrel. Scoring and getting receiving yards, getting yards on special teams and doing what I need to do on any position on the field will keep our team hyped up,” Carter said.

“I rely on probably Will Britt or Keon Farris [the most] because Will is our quarterback, so I have a lot of trust in Will. He knows what he’s doing out there you know. I gotta rely on him every Friday night that he’s gonna put us in the right position. And then Keon Farris, he plays safety, so he communicates all the calls to us as DBs and to the defense so we know what we’re doing. I rely on him a lot,” Cosby said.

As these guys finish up their final Red/White Week and prepare for the final rivalry game, some of the emotions of being a senior are finally hitting. They have all accepted that this is the last chance to go out, have some fun and just play football before they go off and make it big. For now, they are still the 17- and 18-year-old kids who are going out on Friday night under the big lights to impress a crowd of about a few thousand peers and to have fun. In a few months, they will be filling stadiums of several thousand fans and then some. Right now, they are living in the moment and taking it all in.

“I think I’ll miss going out with my teammates; I think about it everyday. It’s crazy that come May or June I’ll be walking across the stage, graduating and going off to college. You know, high-school football is some of the funnest times of your life ‘cause once you get to college, you know it’s more of a business. I’m just trying to have as much fun with these guys as I can right now, but I just think the most fun part will be walking away with the victory and just creating memories that nobody can take away from us forever,” Cosby said.

“It’s one of the oldest rivalry games in America, so you know I like the competition. I’ll miss how big the game was. I’ll miss every reporter and everybody in the city coming out to it. The game was fat [fun]. I’ll just miss playing alongside my brothers,” Cleasant said.

The Triple Cs hope to leave behind a legacy for all the young bucks who follow in their footsteps to remember them by. To each, that is a slightly different legacy, but they all desire to be remembered for their ability and for who they were as people.

“I want my legacy to be a state championship,” Carter said.

“I just wanna be known as somebody who is high in character, a hard worker and a great teammate. My ultimate goal was, ‘if somebody asked if you could play with anybody from Manual, who could it be?’ Answer: Bryce Cosby. I wanna leave this program better than it was when I got it; you know, passing it down to the people below me, I want to leave it with better hands,” Cosby said.

Crimson. White. Purple. Gold.

Bright lights. Deafening screams. Crimson Crazies. Dawg Pound.

It’s the night everyone has been anticipating for a year. In two days, we will have a victor. One team will walk out head held high, barrel held higher. One last hooah. One last time.

Male defeated Manual 27-14 on Oct. 21 in the 124th Old Rivalry game at Male Stadium, keeping the winning barrel for the third year in a row.

In the first quarter, both teams’ defensive lines played very well, feeling each other out and learning how to contend with one another. As the ball moved from one side of the field to the other, neither team was able to get a steady advantage. The first quarter ended with a tie of 0-0.

In the second quarter, this stalemate continued ferociously. Male began to pick up a lot of penalties at the start of the quarter, but that didn’t stop them from giving the Crimsons fierce competition. Manual came close to scoring when Nick Kopp (#9, 11) attempted to kick a field goal, but the kick unfortunately came up short. Neither team scored until the very end of the quarter, when Male’s Brian Smith (#25, 12) ran 25 yards for a Bulldogs touchdown. After the extra point, the score was 7-0, Male, which is what it would remain until the end of the half, 23 seconds later.

“It was a great feeling,” said Smith. “I just knew I had to make a play for my team, and I just executed it.”

Manual’s offense came back strong at the start of the second half, with a series of successful runs that led to William Britt (#17, 12)  running in a touchdown. After the successful extra point kick by Kopp, the score was tied again, 7-7.

This tie would be short lived, however, as just a few minutes later, Male’s Deion Montgomery (#2, 12) ran in another Bulldogs touchdown; after the successful extra point kick, the score was 14-7, Male, as it would stay for the rest of the quarter.

The Bulldogs started out strongly in the fourth quarter, with Smith soon running in for another Male touchdown. After the successful extra point kick, the score was 21-7, Male.

However, the Crimsons made a comeback, making a powerful series of runs that led to Jaelin Carter (#1, 12) catching the ball in the endzone for a Crimsons touchdown. After a successful kick by Kopp, the score was 21-14, Male.

Despite being behind, the Crimsons weren’t willing to give up. With 26 seconds left in the game, Manual gained possession of the ball. They then made a series of quick, concise runs that brought them ever closer to the end zone. The Crimson student section became reinvigorated, loud and proud, as it seemed like Manual had a chance to take the game into overtime.

However, the Crimsons’ final desperate Hail Mary pass was intercepted by Male’s Nathan Hobbs (#5, 12), who proceeded to run 90 yards to make a final gratuitous touchdown, ending the game with a score of 27-14, Male.

After the game, Manual head coach Scott Carmony said, “I love our guys. I’d put our guys against anybody. I love their fight and how they’re finally starting to get what we’re trying to impart on them. The PRP game got us reenergized, and kinda reemphasized what we like to do: play physical, and run the ball.”

Male’s head coach, Chris Wolfe, said that he was very proud of how his team handled Manual’s offense.

“Manual’s got a fantastic run offense, probably the best I’ve seen in a long time,” he said, “But we have enough stops, and we forced them to do a little bit of what they really don’t want to do.”

But the season’s not over yet, and the Crimsons are looking forward to the upcoming games and playoffs, when they’ll have a chance to redeem themselves against Male.

“We need to reset and get geared up for the playoffs, really put all of our thought and focus on that and get past this,” Carmony said.

“Hopefully we can play them again in the playoffs, and we will. We’re going to win.” says Carter.

The Crimsons’ next game is at Manual stadium against the Eastern Eagles on Friday, October 28.

Letter from the editors:

Covering Red/White week is no easy task. Especially for our staff this year. We are a a young staff that is inexperienced in doing coverage of an event on such a grand scale. Our task was simple, repeating the type of coverage that our staff had done last year. We believe that we met this goal and exceeded it. As editors we could not be more proud of our staff and of all of the hard work that they have put in to accomplishing what we set out to do. The task, however, was not as easy as we thought it was going to be. We ran into coaches who refused to give us interviews, we struggled with video editing programs, and it was hard to find ways to make it to all of the events we had to cover. But somehow, we persevered and we came out of the week with one, solitary piece of our hard work that we hope helps to put our school’s spirit into words, videos, and images.

We hope we accomplished telling the story of our family in a way that captures what it means to every single one of us.

Fondly,

The Manual RedEye staff

Fons Cervera, Olivia Dawson, Nikhil Warrier, Olivia Evans, Kaylee Arnett, Rob Spencer, Nick Kopp, Amber Tate, Maya Joshi, Phoebe Monsour, Jade Broderick, Hunter Hartlage, Greg Schwartz, Savanna Vest, Piper Hansen, Bryce Grant, and Cicada Hoyt

A special thanks to the photojournalism classes for allowing us to use their amazing photos in our coverage, to our fantastic advisor for all of his guidance, to the cohosts of CSPN GameDay, to all of the administrators, and to our school. This would not have been possible without all of you. Thank you.