This Friday, at 7:00 P.M., ACP’s varsity football team will be partaking in the annual Ray Road Rivalry against our nemesis, Chandler Prep. The rivalry game also happens to be our Knight’s first football game of the season.

Last year Chandler Prep beat us and now it’s our turn to win. Knights, come to school on Friday dressed in black to support our football team! The game is a “black-out”, so make sure that you’re decked out in all black later on during the game.

For some of you, this might be the first time you’ve heard of the “Battle of Ray Road”. I myself am not the biggest football fanatic and don’t know much when it comes to the sport. So to help give us all some insight to the rivalry game coming up, I asked Eric DeCoster some questions.

Eric is a senior at Erie and has been playing defensive line on the team for three years. He has received offers from two different universities and is thinking about potentially playing in college.

Q: What’s so important about the Ray Road Rivalry?

A: I think that it’s fun to have a rivalry. That’s the big idea, but they’re the closest school to us. There aren’t any other schools in Chandler that play small school football because we’re the only ones that play in the 3A division. All the other big schools in Chandler play in the 6A division. It’s important to have a rivalry, especially in football, because it creates school spirit.

Q: How long has the rivalry been going on for? When did it start and why?

A: Ever since the school’s been around, we’ve had a kind of rivalry. Things really started to escalate, however, when our football team was established three years ago. Both coaches wanted to have a rivalry in football and Chandler Prep saw it as a great opportunity to have a rival. It pretty much started three years ago and things have just been spiraling since.

Q: How are practices going so far?

A: Good! They’re as competitive as they’ve ever been. This year has been a lot different because practices are more serious and we really want to win, so we practice like it.

Q: What should we expect from the team?

A: Definitely a winning record. At least five or six games won, and a team that cares more about winning than just playing football. A team that plays for the school, and not just for the team.

Q: Do you have any words of encouragement to give us? Anything specific that will get the team pumped up for the game?

A: There aren’t any specific words or phrases, really, but everyone’s been crossing their arms in an X to show the whole “crossing out the C”. We’re focusing on winning this year, so any words of encouragement would be great.

Good luck to Eric and the rest of his teammates! Go Knights!

Don’t forget to come and support your impressive football team as they beat Chandler Prep! Again, the game is this Friday, August 23rd, at 7 P.M. at Hamilton High. Make sure to wear black. We’ll see you there!