WS Chronicle

Above: Germane Crowell and Martin Samek

Mustangs will host Yellow Jackets in arguably the best rivalry in the city

By Tevin Stinson

The Chronicle

Everyone has his or her own opinion on what is the best high school football rivalry in the area. Some may say East-Glenn others think Mt. Tabor-West, but over the years no rivalry in Forsyth County lives up to the hype of Carver vs. Parkland in the early 2000s.

This season will be the first time since 2012 that the Yellow Jackets and Mustangs face off on the gridiron.

The Mustangs and Yellow Jackets are set to kick off this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Deaton Thompson Stadium, 2052 Old Salisbury Road.

Before Caver became a member of the Western Piedmont 2A Conference in 2013, both schools were two of the best teams in the Piedmont Triad 3-A Conference.

Parkland is now a member of the Central Piedmont 4-A Conference.

During the early 2000s, both Carver and Parkland were known throughout the state as football powerhouses. Both teams were always pre-season picks to finish near the top of the conference.

Up until 2008 The Carver-Parkland matchup was so big that the game had to be played at Bowman Gray Stadium. No other high school matchup in the city has every needed such a venue.

Separated by less than 10 miles, the two schools have a rivalry that goes past the gridiron. The Carver-Parkland rivalry is one that even has alumni from the schools talking about Friday’s matchup.

India Reeves, a graduate of Carver High School, said she will be in the stands representing the Yellow Jackets even though she is now a teacher at Parkland.

“Even though I do work at Parkland now, I will be sitting on the Carver side during the game,” said Reeves. “I will always be a Yellow Jacket.”

Reeves said she isn’t sure why the rivalry is so strong, but at Carver you are just taught to dislike Parkland.

“As a Carver student, you are just taught to hate Parkland, and they are taught to hate us. It’s just how it goes,” Reeves laughed.

Although the game will not be played inside Bowman Gray Stadium, Carver Athletic Director Michael Winbush is confident the game will draw a large crowd.

“I’m expecting a large crowd when we face off against Parkland,” said Winbush. “We had a big crowd when we played Dudley as well.”

Parkland head coach Martin Samek knows how big the game is for the city and is trying to keep his team focused on taking the season one game at a time.

“I know how big the match up use to be for the city, and I know it will be a big game for both teams, but most importantly, I’m trying to keep the team focused and take the season one game at a time.”

The Mustangs are coming off a 29-7 victory over Northeast Guilford in the first game of the season. Carver will be looking to regain its footing after falling 42-7 to Dudley at home last Friday.

Germane Crowell, head coach at Carver, is hoping to use the matchup with Parkland to gain momentum for the rest of the season.

“If we get momentum early in the season, I think we have what it takes to make a playoff run,” said Crowell. “We aren’t looking past anybody.”

Last season, the Yellow Jackets finished with a 9-4 record while the Mustangs couldn’t manage to put a mark in the win column finishing 0-11.

“I know both teams will come in prepared. The team who is the most disciplined will come out victorious,” Crowell said.