The past — a history of Battle of the Bell
The first Battle of the Bell game was played in Milford in 1969, which was the first year the Felton and Harrington school districts combined to make the Lake Forest School District.

The game was played on Thanksgiving morning and was originally called the “Turkey Day Battle.”

It was, and has remained, the last game of the season. However, because of the creation of the state football tournament, the game stopped being played on Thanksgiving morning sometime around 1972.

According to Robert Briggs, whose father Bernard “Barney” Briggs was athletic director at Milford through the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s, “The season ending game had been a high school football tradition.

“When my dad was coaching football, Milford always played Dover on Thanksgiving Day in the last game of the season. Later, Caesar Rodney became the end of the season rival.

“Then, I think because Milford and the new Lake Forest High School were such close neighbors, we were scheduled for a new, season ending game in football, which was planned as an annual rivalry.”

Briggs also said he remembers the two schools wanting to have some sort of symbol that represented the two towns as a trophy for the winner of the contest.

“Someone (but I don’t remember who) located a railroad bell that had been on an old locomotive that served the passenger rail line between Milford and Harrington. Hard to believe now, but there was regular passenger train service in Milford up to World War II and for a few years after the war. The railroad bell became the game trophy, that was awarded to the school which won the game each year,” he said.

According to an article found in the Milford Chronicle, the bell came from an old Penn Railroad community train. It said, “Cooperation was gained from the Delaware Breakwater Railroad Co. with a former employee and the bell was purchased for around $100 from a railroad graveyard in Pennsylvania.”

The article went on to say the decision to acquire something symbolic of the two towns to allow the winner of the Turkey Day Battle was decided among Barney Briggs, and General Albert Adams, superintendent at Lake Forest.

It said the first thought was for the symbol to be an old peach basket. Then a steamboat whistle was recommended, but the final decision was made to use the bell instead.

“I’m glad we’re not talking about the Battle of the Peach Basket,” Briggs said jokingly.

According to a fact sheet handed out by Milford head football coach Mike Tkach, no Battle of the Bell game has ever ended in a tie.

Only one game, in 1994, was won in overtime by Lake Forest 14-7.

It goes on to say that the bell weighs 52 lbs and is made of solid brass with an oak base.

The fact sheet said initially, on game day the fans of the visiting team were allowed to travel to the game by train for free.

And, “Legend has it that good luck comes to the one who rings it,” the history sheet said.

The past — the first five years of the game
The first game in 1969 was played at Milford with Lake Forest coming off of a three-game winning streak.

Lake Forest ended up winning the first battle in a close game 27-26, finishing the season 4-5, and in second place in the Henlopen South Conference, while the Bucs finished 5-5 and in last place in the Henlopen North Conference.

Dale Wilson, a staff writer for the Milford Chronicle wrote at the time that the game was “Undoubtedly the most exciting game of the season.”

Then in 1970, the game was played on the W.T. Chipman field in Harrington and was won by Milford 18-8.

Milford, coached by Moe Barber, was having its first winning season since the 1964 season when it went 6-3 and finished 8-2 that year.

The play-by-play of the game aired on WTHD Radio 93 in Milford, and was called a “defensive struggle,” by the Chronicle.

The third game in 1971 was played at Milford.

At the time, Milford’s starting quarterback Cory Kennah was out with a knee injury.

The loss affected the Bucs who wound up losing to the Spartans 20-12.

The Spartans finished the 1971 season with an 8-2 record and in second place in the Henlopen South while the Bucs finished 4-6 tied for fifth in the North with Cape Henlopen.

The roles reversed in 1972 when Lake’s starting quarterback Larry Lorden sat out the final game because of a shoulder separation.

The Bucs won 15-2 and finished the season 5-5, and fifth in the Henlopen North.

Though the Spartans lost the battle, they finished with an 8-2 record and first in the South.

The game was played at W.T. Chipman in Harrington and was the last game to be played on Thanksgiving and the last game to be known as the Turkey Day Battle.

According to the Chronicle, “The packed stands…watched the two teams slip and slide on a muddy turf that looked like a fire hose had been turned on it all night.”

Finally, in 1973, the game was played in Milford and won by the Bucs 45-7, the first time the battle had been won by the home team.

The game was played for the first time on a Friday and was also the first time it did not receive any major coverage in the Chronicle.

Milford finished with a 5-4-1 record while Lake finished 0-10.

The past — Battle memories shared
When talking to former players from Milford and Lake, many can recall what the final Battle of the Bell score was when they played.

Something else most players will say is that the rivalry has been able to remain in tact for nearly 40 years because the two towns are so close together and because it has become a tradition.

“I think it’s because we’re neighboring towns and the school districts border each other,” Powell Billings, who played in the very first Battle of the Bell game, said. “It’s a big thing. You run into those people more so than others. Harrington is just a hop, skip and a jump away.”

He added, “It also plays into, if both teams are having down years, it’s bragging rights for the rest of the year.”

“I just think that tradition is a big part of the game of football,” said Powell’s son Ryan Billings, who played quarterback for the Bucs and graduated in 2001. “Rivalries get carried on from generation to generation. It builds community.”

“I think the rivalry has lasted for so long because these communities are so close together. It reminds me a lot of Dover-CR,” Adam Brown, who played for the Bucs from 1997-2001 and now coaches on the junior varsity team, said.

“Most of these kids know each other so there is a lot of trash-talking that goes on and one player does not want to lose to the other. I think the coaches do a good job of preaching its importance and that just adds fuel to the fire.

“When Milford and Lake Forest step on to the field, court, or wrestling mat they truly do not like each other,” he said.

Something else former players agree on is that winning the bell provides a sense of pride for the team, the school and the community.

“We had a lot of losing seasons, so that was the biggest game that we looked forward to,” Ryan Billings said.

“Anytime you could go to Lake’s sideline and take the bell back or ring the bell on your own sideline after the victory was a thrill,” Brown said.

“I had a lot of friends that played for Lake Forest and it was always fun to see them out later and rub it in their face that we had the bell.

“I think Coach Tkach is doing a fabulous job to get the student body involved and making them understand what this game means to the community. I think for a while the game meant more to Lake Forest, but that is not the case anymore.”

Brown added, “The Battle of the Bell was a game I looked forward to every year. The coaches really preached the significance of the bell and what it meant to beat Lake Forest. We were never in contention for the playoffs while I was playing so the bell game was our ‘championship.’ We knew if we could win that one game that our season was a success.”

Even students of both schools who were not on the football team remember Battle of the Bell games and the week leading up to it.

“One of the biggest memories I have from it as a student was that it was more than just a football game,” Chris Kenton, who graduated from Milford in 1987 and now teaches social studies at Lake Forest, said.

“We would have competitions against Lake Forest to see who could raise the most canned goods for the local food pantries. We would literally fill pick-up trucks full of food, and then park them behind the end zone during the games.

“They would make an announcement at halftime letting everyone know who won. Both schools really got into it,” he said.

“We had great school spirit so there was always school-wide preparation for the football games. The atmosphere often seemed as important as homecoming,” Czar Bloom, who graduated from Lake in 1991 and now teaches English at Milford and coaches the cross country and track teams.

“For me, being a cross country runner at Lake Forest High, the Battle of the Bell came about the same time as conferences and states, and our athletic director Jim Blades, who was also the cross country coach, made sure that all the fall sports got to feel the school spirit as tournament time approached.

“The football team battled for the bell while the other sports, including soccer and field hockey, were looking to represent the school well in playoffs. It was certainly a great moment of Lake Forest pride,” he said.

“We took pride in it. I think the rivalry is bigger now than it was back then,” Ken Outten, who  graduated from Lake in 1986 and now coaches soccer at Milford, said.

“Maybe having been here quite a bit longer than I was actually in high school, makes it seem more important, or at least it gets reinforced a bit more often.

The present — the last five Battles of the Bell

The future — preview of Friday’s game
Tkach knows his team is this-close to earning its first playoff berth since 1974, but he is also aware that Lake is not a team to be taken lightly.

“This is a big game for them. Lake Forest has won two in a row and I’m sure they want to be our season spoiler, so it’s going to be a great game. It’s going to be a battle, but if we take care of business the way we are capable of doing, things will fall in place for us.”

Not only is the game one that will determine Milford’s playoff fate, it’s also one Tkach said the kids will take with them for the rest of their lives.

In addition, he said it is important that Milford retain the bell, mostly because of “pride.”

“If you have something you don’t ever want to give it up, you do whatever you can to keep it.

As for how he thinks his team will play on Friday, he said, “I don’t think we’ve played our best yet and I’m hoping that we come out ready to play and execute the way I know we can.”

Tkach added, “This is the time you want to get things clicking. The boys have a good mindset right now and they’ll be ready to play on Friday.

“This is an exciting game and it’s a great opportunity for us. We’ve got to take care of business. If we go there, come out with a win, we have a whole new season in front of us. We haven’t had this excitement for a long time and it’s great for the community and it’s great for the kids.”

Coming into Friday’s game, Milford, with a 7-2 record and the chance to make it to the state tournament for the first time in 34 years, is favored to win the game.

However, no matter what record either team has, if you ask former players, coaches and current players and coaches, they will say that anything can happen during a Battle of the Bell game.

“It’s always a fresh game because no matter what your records are, you throw that out, because this is a rivalry,” Tkach said.

“Even though it appears it could be lopsided this year, you never know what the rivalry will bring out of Lake Forest. It used to mean a lot when I was there,” Bloom said.

“This week for Milford, it has playoff ramifications so they can’t take this game too lightly,” Powell Billings said. “Stranger things have happened.”

Sports editor Jamie-Leigh Bissett
can be reached at 422-1200 or
jlhughes@newszap.com.

Last edited on Thu Nov 6th, 2008 06:14 pm by jlhughes