The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Lorain, Elyria to renew rivalry on the gridiron
Few Ohio high school football rivalries have a history as long and storied as the one between Elyria and Lorain.
The first meeting between the two schools was in 1894 — now after a year-long hiatus because of the novel coronavirus pandemic — that rivalry will be renewed once more on Sept. 3.
Things have changed significantly since that first meeting 127 years ago. The old Lorain High School has since closed and reopened, as have Southview, Lorain Catholic and Admiral King.
All are now back under the single banner of Lorain High. The same can be said for Elyria High School, which merged with Elyria West in 1996.
One thing that hasn’t changed, is the passion shared by players — both past and present — who played in those old Lorain v Elyria games.
“It was really great because I was fortunate enough to have a cousin (Steve Bush) who played on the 1979 team and then my brother, who graduated in 1983,” Elyria graduate Eric Bush said.
“To go to those games as a little kid growing up I couldn’t wait to put the Elyria uniform on and play in that big rivalry game.
“It was electric because it was almost like both towns just closed down and everyone was at those games.”
Bush — and several others interviewed for this column — all agreed that the rivalry between the two schools was unlike any other at the time. Some attributed it to the closeness of the two cities others say it was the chance to play against family and friends that made the rivalry so fierce.
“I think with Elyria and Lorain being very close we all knew each other,” Bush said. “Whoever won that game, you had bragging rights for 365 days. You were always prepared because you knew the Lorain game was always that last game of the year.”
The Lorain v Elyria game won’t be a Week 10 matchup any time soon, with the teams playing in separate conferences, but the quest for bragging rights still survives to this day.
Bush played tight end at Elyria and had the opportunity to see his brother and cousin play. Lorain graduate Gary Huff had a unique experience, being able to play against his cousin in the 1982 iteration of the game.
Huff — now a coach at Oberlin High School — played for Lorain High in the 80s and coached later for the Steelemen in 1994. That 1994 game was the 100th meeting between the two schools — and the last with Lorain using the moniker Steelmen.
“Coming into the week of that game, knowing that you were going to play in Lorain there was a lot of hype,” Elyria graduate Aric Bowens said. “(Lorain) almost like a sister city to Elyria there’s a lot of anticipation. It ultimately came down to having bragging rights for the rest of your life. Going into that game there was a lot of anticipation, it was definitely a big deal.”
The Lorain win gave the school its 500th win and put them ahead 53-43-4 in the all-time series.
Other notable games mentioned by Huff and Bush included the 1979 game that saw an unbeaten Elyria squad take on a one-loss Lorain team. The Pioneers, led by an all-time defense that allowed just 15-points over the course of an entire ten-game season, narrowly topped the Steelemen 9-8.
“The one game that sticks out in my mind is that 1979 game,” Huff said. “Elyria had that great defense that gave up 15-points throughout the entire year I believe. It was a defensive struggle.”
Elyria pitched eight shutouts in ten games during that ‘79 season and no game was closer than the one against their most fierce rivals.
The family ties run further than just cousins though. Some had fathers and grandfathers who played in the games. Those like Ed Kershaw whose father and brothers played in the iterations of the game.
Others, like Jack Marsh, a former All-Ohio selection on defense at Elyria High, remember playing in the 1966 game as his uncle coached on the other sideline.
“We won the (1964, 1965 and 1966) games. Had the pleasure of playing on teams that included Jack Beidelman, Tim Johnson, and Al Robinson,” Marsh said.
Marsh was one of several to respond to a FaceBook post I put on the Lorain County’s Friday Night Light’s page asking for favorite games and memories from Lorain v Elyria games past. Below are more responses:
Marsha Reisinger Gibson said, “(The) 1947 EHS Pioneers had an undefeated season and beat Lorain 7-6. Elyria was ranked as the number two team in the state. My parents were 1948 grads and I grew up hearing these stories about the Lorain rivalry.” Steve Brattoli said, “We beat Lorain my junior year at Ely stadium 17-6. Prior to the game coaches were concerned we weren’t ready, so we started chanting “Beat Lorain” followed by two hits on our thigh pads. It was enough to be on the front page of sports with “Elyria’s Beat Lorain Attitude Prevails”. We continued that through warmups. Repko threw a 60 some yard touchdown pass for Lorain on their first play but was past the line of scrimmage so it was called back, from there on our defense shut them down.
Lorain won the last meeting in 2019 but — as has been well documented — the Titans are playing with just two returning players from that 2019 team.
Winning this meeting might be a tough ask for a very young and very inexperienced Lorain team, especially against an Elyria team with a renewed vigor in its first season as a member of the Southwestern Conference.
But if there’s anything you can expect from a rivalry as long-standing and fierce as this one, it’s the unexpected.