City Rivalry: “There Wouldn’t Be A Farmers Day If There Wasn’t A Game On Friday Night”

When they say the City Rivalry is for life, it’s not an exaggeration. Look no further than the sidelines.

When Dorman and Spartanburg kick off their annual rivalry game tonight, 20 men who played in the rivalry will be coaching.

“Nine of our guys went to school here,” Spartanburg head coach Mark Hodge said. And on staff, Brad McAbee has coached in it 10 or 12 years, Mark Razzano has, I have. So that’s 12 of us.”

Dorman head coach Jake Morris just started listing names. Nine current coaches in the Cavaliers program played at Dorman. Add in Michael Lancaster and JoJo Hawkins, both of whom played at Spartanburg and now coach at Dorman, and coaches Jason Farmer and Wade Cooper, who along with Lancaster have coached on both sides of the rivalry, and Dorman’s number swells to 13.

That’s something that speaks to the quality of the programs in the rivalry, how much former players care enough about their alma maters to return, and how tight-knit the two schools involved really are.

It also speaks to the nature of two of the biggest schools in the county inhabiting pretty much the same footprint.

“I think what makes it special is the relationships involved,” Hodge said. “You’ve got kids who live on the same street who play against each other. They go to church together, they have relatives on either side of the rivalry, everybody who supports one side or the other are pretty much long-time people on that side. You see them out and about in daily life. It’s almost like a brotherly-based getting after it when we play.”

Morris said it’s definitely familiarity that makes the rivalry special, but it’s also the fact that both schools have embraced the game.

“I think it’s because it matters in both communities,” Morris said. “Football’s important at Spartanburg and in District 7. Football’s important in District 6 and in Roebuck and this side of Spartanburg. It matters. It matters to the administration. As coaches, we go to church together. We interact in the community together. Apart from one game a year, we’re friends. And that one game gives you your bragging rights. I think that’s the biggest thing that goes to it. And I think it’s something that both schools have done a good job of keeping true. This is our rival game. This is Farmer’s Day. This is the week that we look forward to and circle on our calendar, and it’s been that way for as long as I remember.”

Morris has plenty of reasons for the rivalry to hold a special meaning, and one of the biggest is his position as Dorman’s head coach. Including Al Clark in the mid 1980s, Morris is one of only two men to play in the rivalry and serve as head coach for one of the schools.

“It’s big,” he said. “It means a lot to be able to achieve the goal of wanting to be the head coach here, and to have a chance to do that. Playing here, growing up in this program, seeing Spartanburg and Dorman games at John L. Martin stadium, being a part of all that history. And now you get to be on the other side of it from a coaching perspective.”

That perspective includes keeping the Cavaliers focused despite the Farmers Week activities.

“I understand now why Coach Gutshall kind of got fed up with Farmer’s Week by the end of the week,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve got a totally different perspective on it from when I was a player playing in it.”

Hodge said the distractions that can come with rivalry week have to be balanced.

“Too much emphasis on it, win or lose, can tank you the next week,” he said. “You can’t be too emotional for a win, or for a loss, because it can drain you for the following week.”

To that end, the Vikings’ preparation remains much the same.

“We have two goals, to make the playoffs and win the state championship,” Hodge said. “When you keep it to those two goals, there aren’t many failures. So you can’t preach one game. We try to play every game like we play Dorman, Byrnes, Gaffney, that type of competition. That’s what we try to do. Our intent is to treat them all like the state championship.”

At the same time, Hodge realizes the community impact of the game.

“Our folks are super serious about it, but it’s more with each other and their buddies from the other side,” he said. “They’re texting, talking trash, and at the end of the day we’re elated if we win or down if we lose. But that lasts about 30 minutes. Because of those relationships, it’s like beating or losing to a brother. At the end of the day, those face-to-face relationships are the priority.”

That impact includes the chance to pass into local legend. Just like the game tends to bring out the best in both sides, the rivalry aspect sometimes leads to a player who just seems to take over against the rival.

“They’ll remember it and talk about it later, 30 years from now,” Hodge said. “This is a game  that can put you on the historical map. Andrew Dantin (who scored a game-winner at the last second against the Cavaliers on a tremendous catch-and-run) is kind of known as a Dorman killer. You can set yourself into lore by being great in this ball game.”

On Dorman’s side, Morris recalls the Spartanburg game being special, particularly as a player.

“It was always big,” he said. “When I was playing, Byrnes was the No. 1 team in the nation, and everybody always wanted to beat Byrnes. But I can remember Coach Gutshall talking to us, and leading into Spartanburg week, saying that this is one you don’t want to lose. It was always a big deal. You always took this week more seriously. There was just something a little bit more to it.”

Morris never lost to the Vikings as a player, finishing 6-0 as the teams played twice a year for a couple of years during his playing days.

“My junior year, going to play at Wofford, first game of the season, Week Zero,” Morris said. “We were good, and we knew we were good. Arguably one of the best Dorman teams to ever take the field in 2008. We went over there, played them Week Zero, and we blew them out 47-10. It was just a lot of fun. And then you fast-forward, same year, same teams, and we were barely up at halftime in the actual Farmer’s Day game. It was back and forth. We were loaded, and you could just see the rivalry come out.

This year’s group of Cavalier seniors are still looking for a win against Spartanburg. Morris said while that’s important, the true importance of this week is that it’s the next game on a schedule that gives Dorman a chance to do something special.

“Any time you play in this region, every week it’s a battle,” he said. “It’s huge in region standings, it’s huge in playoff standings, plus it’s also big for our program. We’ve taken strides to show we’re turning the corner, and it’s a big statement of where we are with our kids. This group of seniors have never beaten Spartanburg at the varsity level. It’s big for them, big for the program, big for the community and school. But at the end of the day, the region standings are where it’s the biggest. If we want to do what we think we can do, then we have to take care of this one.”

Taking care of the game is mostly what it’s all about. Morris said it all boils down to what happens between the lines.

“All the activities and everything surrounding it is great,” he said. “But there wouldn’t be a Farmers Day if there wasn’t a game on Friday night.”