This historic game has been played annually for over 50 years. Fans pour in hours before the game starts to get the best seat. This year, Oakland was the clear favorite with a top 5 safety who has accepted a scholarship to play at LSU. Oakland had won 6 of the last 8 meetings, including the last 4 in a row, going into Friday night.

SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Preston Barge

Riverdale

Preston is a 4 year varsity member of the Football team. He carries an impressive 3.15 gpa. He is a former basketball player and member of the FBLA. He plans to attend either Austin Peay or UT Chattanooga where he will study Computer Science.

Jackson Cauthen

Oakland

Jackson is a 3 year letterman on the varsity football and varsity baseball teams. He was selected for the 2015 all-state, all-mid-state, and all-region teams in football. He is the treasurer of Best Buddies and plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing and graduate as a nurse practitioner.

HALL OF FAME

John Jones

Riverdale

John played at Riverdale from 83 – 86. In 1987 he was elected to the Tennessee all-mid-state team. He went on to play college football at Tennessee Tech. In 2009 he was inducted into the Riverdale High School Football Hall of Fame.

Jason Spray

Oakland

Jason played in the rivalry from 93 – 96. He went on to graduate and play for Middle Tennessee. He is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning association and the collegiate strength and conditioning coaches association. Sine 2012, he has helped 22 players make it to NFL training camps. Spray is happily married and has two sons.

GAME SUMMARY

It was clear from the start that Oakland was the superior team scoring on the first drive of the game. By halftime they had taken a 14-0 lead and jumped out to a commanding advantage. After halftime, Riverdale looked like a new team. In the third quarter, they held Oakland to only scoring one and managed a touchdown themselves. With the game at 7-21 the teams went into the final quarter. This is when everything fell apart for Riverdale. Oakland put up two more scores and ended the game with 35 points to take home the Great American Rivalry Series Trophy.