EOAC Rivalry Week



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This week’s attention is obviously on the big game in Salineville when the Valley Christian Eagles and Southern Indians battle for first place in the EOAC. And although that is an important game in not only this area, the EOAC, and playoff seeding, there are other contests this Friday that will feature teams that have very important consequences.

​No doubt every team enters the season intending to win the league championship, make the playoffs, and maybe even go all the way to a state championship. But in reality, most schools are focused on those big rivalry games where the victors can carry bragging rights wherever they go. That is the case with Columbiana, East Palestine, Leetonia, and Lisbon.





EAST PALESTINE VS COLUMBIANA

"They hate us. It's a traditional rivalry game." - Clippers Coach Bob Spaite

The improved East Palestine Bulldogs (1-6) will take on arch-rival the Columbiana Clippers (0-7) Friday night at Firestone Park. And although both teams have been eliminated from the playoffs weeks ago, both teams would like nothing better than to knock off their hated rival.

“It’s a huge game for us,” Spaite stated. “Number one, it’s a rivalry game. If you ask anyone who graduated from Columbiana in the ’40s, ’50s, or ’60s, the only thing they care about is beating Palestine. And Palestine is the same way. They hate us. It’s a traditional rivalry game.”

“For us, of course, it’s huge,” Bulldogs coach Michael Demster exclaimed. “We want to continue moving in that (positive) direction where we are competing in a lot of these games. We need to continue moving upward and improving in every area. It’s a litmus test to see where we are at, but it is also an opportunity. We are in for a battle Friday night.”

The Clippers also have the added motivation of awarding their beloved coach Bob Spaite with his 200th career coaching victory. A milestone that has alluded the long-time skipper of the Clippers with a couple of close losses.

Spaite commented, “It’s always a lot more fun when both (teams) are really good. But in this situation, we are pretty evenly matched, so it’s going to be a huge game. We are going to have our hands full. Michael has done a great job over there of getting their culture turned around. They are no longer an easy out.”

“Any time you have a rivalry like this, you can just throw the records out the door,” Demster said. “We know they are going to give us their best shot and we have to be able to match that plus some and making sure that we focus on executing each play with physicality and total effort. It’s going to be a great game.”

Another intriguing element to the matchup is that Bulldogs head coach Michael Demster was an assistant coach under Spaite from 2018-2020. So, he is now on the other side of the fence taking on his former mentor.

“Even when I was at United, and it held true at Columbiana that the East Palestine kids play with an edge to them. Back then before the Parker Sherry era, that was very true,” Demster remarked. “East Palestine was always a tough team. Columbiana is always that team that has that mystic. So, when you played Columbiana, you always knew it was going to be a football game. They are always going to be a good football team.”



LEETONIA VS LISBON

"It may have lost some of its luster to the casual fans, but to the kids and the coaches playing the game, it’s still a big deal.” - Blue Devils Coach Matt Altomare

The other game in the EOAC that features long-time rivals is the Leetonia Bears (0-7) game against the Lisbon Blue Devils (4-3) on the 109th anniversary of the “Spaghetti Bowl” Friday night. The oldest rivalry in Columbiana County was with them meeting for the first time in 1905 with the only break in the series coming in 1917-1918 due to the Spanish flu.

The Lisbon Blue Devils currently hold a 55-50-3 advantage in the series over Leetonia. The Devils won last year 19-12 in a hard-fought affair. The Devils lead the series primarily due to the past ten years where they hold an 8-2 edge in the series.

“It’s a unique trophy and unique bragging rights and it’s unique to the districts,” Blue Devils head coach Matt Altomare remarked. “It’s about twenty-thirty pounds. It’s an old-school spaghetti serving bowl. A porcelain bowl that is probably about one hundred years old now. It’s pretty neat.”

Although both Leetonia and Lisbon have had their ups and downs over the past ten years, the game continues to be a heated rivalry in the two communities. Something that the kids take pride in capturing the “Spaghetti Bowl” trophy.

“It gives you something to play for,” Altomare stated. “It doesn’t matter if one team is good and the other isn’t. It’s always late in the year, except during the ITCL when it was the opener. It may have lost some of its luster to the casual fans, but to the kids and the coaches playing the game, it’s still a big deal.”





Altomare has experienced the big game from both the Leetonia and Lisbon sides recognizing that they both look forward to the rivalry game. This year, they are hoping to go back to the tradition of the loser coaching staff serving a spaghetti dinner to the victors.

“The losing team coaches and administrators are going to serve the winning team spaghetti shortly after the season,” Altomare explained. “That’s always a big thing. Actually, we are going to feed both teams, but the loser team coaches are going to serve the dinner. The kids deserve a meal no matter win or lose.”

For Lisbon, the game is critically important as they currently sit 11th in the computer standing for Division VII-Region 25 with only three more games to play. Sitting at 4-3 on the season, a victory this Friday will guarantee them at least a .500 season or better.

“We are always trying to look ahead,” Altomare said. “Keep trying to get better, and we are getting there. Each week we are improving. That’s what we want, and at the end of the season, we can reflect back and evaluate our successes. There are a lot of good teams in the league that you are trying to catch up to and playing a rivalry game in week 8 is good to help keep the momentum going.”

The other big game this Friday features the Wellsville Tigers at the United Eagles. Although it is not considered a rivalry game, it is huge in both the league standings and the playoff picture. The Tigers are currently sitting in the last playoff spot in Division VII-Region 25. A victory would boost their playoff chances tremendously. The Eagles may have a playoff spot pretty much wrapped up, but a victory keeps their league title hopes alive and could help them in their quest to get a first-round playoff game.

While many regional fans will be focused on that first-place battle in the EOAC Friday night, the four communities of Columbiana, East Palestine, Leetonia, and Lisbon will have their own huge game to watch. Rivalry week in the EOAC should be fun.