Every  sport has that one team who everyone just can not wait to play and hopefully beat. Most of the time it is a nearby school that everyone wants to take down. There is just something about playing hometown teams that just makes an athlete’s competition level rise a little more.

After asking different athletes around the school about their biggest rivals, it was clear that each sport has a different one. Some students on the boys basketball team decided that their biggest rival was either Webber or Woodlawn. Jaxon King was asked why and he stated “We always have beef with them, and they always play dirty.” The Volleyball girls decided that their biggest rival was Fairfield. Aubrey Noe said it was because “We live 15 minutes away, so we know most of the people on the team which makes us want to beat them even more.” The basketball girls’ biggest rival is Sandoval, because “They are mean and play very physical” according to Lucille Smith. The baseball boys biggest threat is Webber, Dane Horton says that it is because “ We have lost to them for about five years straight.” Last but not least, the softball girls. They really had to narrow their options down when trying to think of their biggest rival, but they decided it would have to be Grayville. Gracie McCormick said “Grayville is always the team we want to beat because we play at about the same level.”

The Wayne City Indians have had different rivals since the very beginning. They always seem to change each year and no sport ever has the same rival. But regardless of the sport these deep rivalries help athletes stay motivated to play at the top of their game.