By Jeff Harrison
It’s time for the 61st Noble County Super Bowl!
Neighboring rivals Shenandoah and Caldwell square off Friday in Sarahsville and although neither team has had the season they’d hoped for, that won’t matter when the Zeps and Redskins collide – it’s a matter of pride!
Caldwell enters the game with a 4-5 record, with victories over Waterford, Wellsville, Fort Frye and Shadyside while its losses were to Buckeye Trail, Monroe Central, Edison, Barnesville and Toronto.
Shenandoah is 2-7, beating Edison and Shadyside while losing to Waterford, Buckeye Trail, Union Local, Buckeye Local, Monroe Central, River and Barnesville.
In a closely contested series dating back to 1964 when Shenandoah came into existence, Caldwell has a narrow 31-28-1 edge thanks to three straight victories that pushed them out front after the Zeps had won four in a row to even the series.
In fact, a closer look at the Redskins-Zeps battle shows several “runs”, starting with Caldwell taking the first four games against the fledgling Zeps from 1964-67, but Shenandoah then won seven in a row from 1968-74.
The ‘Skins had the biggest streak in the series, winning nine times in a row from 1988-96, followed by an eight-year run by the Zeps from 1997-2004. Caldwell also won eight times in nine years from 2008-2016.
In the head-to-head battles, Caldwell has scored 1,129 points to 958 for Shenandoah. The Redskins have recorded 10 shutouts compared to eight by the Zeps.
Caldwell also leads in all-time OHSAA playoff appearances with 13 highlighted by last year’s journey to the Division VII State Semifinals while Shenandoah has made seven trips to the postseason with its best showing 2003's Division V, Region 19 runner-up finish.
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