Randy Dickson: Mark your calendars for the 'Bulletin Bowl'
The countdown has begun.
Two months from today the Baker Gators travel to Jack Foster Stadium to take on Crestview in the regular season opener of the 2009 football season.
In the tradition of Alabama and Auburn’s Iron Bowl and the Egg Bowl that goes to the winner of the Mississippi State-Ole Miss game, the News Bulletin is proud to announce it will be presenting the “Bulletin Bowl.”
As is tradition with the college trophies, the winner of the Bulletin Bowl will hold it until the teams meet the following season.
There’s still a lot to do before the big game on Sept. 4.
Both the Bulldogs and Gators are in the middle of their summer conditioning programs. They’ll continue the workouts until the start of fall camp Aug. 10.
And the week before the opener Crestview will host Gulf Breeze and Baker will travel to Jay for Kickoff Classics.
In the grand scheme of things both Crestview and Baker will play bigger games than the opener at Jack Foster.
District matchups are far more important than one that hasn’t been played since 2002 and lacks the annual tradition of Baker-Jay or Crestview-Fort Walton Beach.
In the big school vs. small school football games the big school always goes in with the upper hand simply because of the depth on their roster.
Some would say the big school has more to lose, which is only true to a certain extent. The most important thing for both teams is to come out of the game healthy. If Baker were to pull off the upset, but lose a key player for the season the Gators could be out of the playoff hunt before the district play even gets started.
No matter who wins on the field, the real winners in this game are the communities and the fans.
In a day when budget considerations go into the scheduling process it just makes sense that schools within 15 miles of each other play.
The thought process is helped by the fact that the schools find themselves in a geographic quandary with the new districts.
Crestview is in the largest classification, 4A, in Northwest Florida. It is also in the four-team District 2-4A. Crestview has three district games and three other games against teams from District 1-4A.
If the Bulldogs wanted to play a team in a higher classification they would have to travel to the Jacksonville area. Instead, the Bulldogs will open the 2009 season staying at home the first three games and bringing in smaller schools.
West Gadsden returns to Jack Foster on Sept. 11. Pensacola Catholic will be in town Sept. 25.
Baker’s dilemma is the opposite of Crestview. Baker is in the next-to-the-smallest classification in the state, Class 1A. And the Gators are in a nine-team district, which means they have eight games on their schedule.
All Gator coach Bob Kellogg had to do is find a first game and a last regular season game.
And when Baker and Crestview decided to play, the Bulletin Bowl was born.
Randy Dickson is the News Bulletin Sports Editor. Contact him at 682-6524, or e-mail randyd@crestviewbulletin.com
