New Section I Schedule Eliminates Storied White Plains/New Rochelle Rivalry Game

The recently-formed Section I football comittee's decision to alter the fall 2011 football schedule has certainly made an impact on the White Plains and New Rochelle football programs.

 Because of the new schedule and rankings system installed, the traditional White Plains v New Rochelle game—one of the more storied football rivalries in Section 1 history—will not take place in 2011. New Rochelle ended up with the highest ranking in Class AA. White Plains ended up with the second highest.

Still, shedding one of the immense regular-season rivalry games immediately saps some luster out of both teams' schedules.

 "Honestly, I don't like this schedule for a number of reasons," said White Plains Head Coach Skip Stevens. "One is, if you look at the schedule, we don't play either of our local rivalries. We don't play Mamaroneck, we don't play Scarsdale, we don't play New Rochelle. The White Plains/New Rochelle rivalry has been a 111-112 year rivalry."

 With the new schedule, White Plains is not guaranteed the same jam-packed crowds and sellouts that local matchups generate. The absence of always-intense battle destroys a major event while simultaneously taking some of the thrill-factor out of the regular season.

 "The bottom line is, the game would have been home this year, so it would have been a sellout," Stevens said.

 "One of the first things our players said (after seeing the new schedule) was 'we're not playing New Ro?' It was a letdown for them, even though we're playing a very competitive schedule. Because we’re playing so many teams that are not from the immediate area, I think the crowds are going to be down a bit. I don't know how many people we are going to get to drive to Clarkstown or Arlington. You play at Mamaroneck, you play at Scarsdale, or you play at New Ro, you could see there's going to be up to three or maybe five thousand people in the stands. A school like Arlington is way up north. I don't know if we could get the same crowd for that game."

 One of the major upsides to playing a rivalry game of this magnitude is the Tigers' energy level ratchets up during the week of practice leading up to New Rochelle/White Plains. The Tigers’ coaching staff knows there isn't much they have to say to get their team revved up to play the longtime rival Huguenots.

"You never have to motivate," said Stevens. "You never have to focus them in practice. It's all self motivation, everybody knows what's at stake. It's White Plains/New Rochelle."

 The high-intensity, bragging rights and brash pre-game bravado will be sorely missed.

 "That game not being on the schedule, that's a big letdown," said New Rochelle's star running back/defensive back Jordan Lucas.

"They've always been hyped up to be big games and they've always lived up to that hype. It's just a rivalry, plain and simple. For them not to be playing, it's a big letdown. Why they won't be playing each other? I truthfully don't know."

 Lucas knows a great deal of pride is at stake every time the two teams meet on the gridiron. There is always extra juice on the field, in the stands, on the blogs, message boards, and even intriguing wars of words via Facebook and Twitter.

"It gets pretty wild with the social networks," said Lucas, a high-end Division-I prospect who is graduating from New Rochelle in June and going off to prep school in the fall.

 "People talk trash to each other on Facebook. A year ago, under the lights, it was an unbelievable atmosphere. People in the stands were going crazy. That's how it would be next year if the game were to be played. It's a big letdown. I would love to come home and watch New Rochelle play White Plains and now I won't be able to."