Battle of the Bell 2014

Last week’s spirit week leading up to the annual Battle of the Bell between the Chapin football team and their arch rivals, the Mid-Carolina Rebels, was an enjoyable way to show off school spirit, yet cannot be compared to the excitement and suspense of game day. The most anticipated game of the season ended in a 22-6 Chapin Varsity win, following a 34-7 Chapin JV victory the Wednesday before. That was the second game this fall for the Eagles’ varsity squad, coming off a 31-0 stomping of Columbia High School. This was the Rebels first game since going 0-11 last season, extending their losing streak to 18 games.

The game last Friday was the 56^th meeting between these two rivals, with the most recent meeting putting Chapin ahead 39-17 in the series. Last year’s matchup at Chapin High School ended in a 25-0 domination of the Rebels. The most recent 22-6 game took place on Mid-Carolina’s turf, where the Eagles had previously been on a 2 game losing streak. Both teams had something to prove going into the game, and both student sections were amped up knowing the winning team would have a years worth of bragging rights.

Even though this is a historic rivalry, the most recent matchup was just the third ever “Battle of the Bell.” The bell replica, which represents the bell from the train that used to travel back and forth along the railroad connecting the towns of Chapin and Prosperity, was placed on a pedestal before the 2012 game and became the trophy awarded annually to the winner. Mid-Carolina won possession of the trophy after the first battle, but last year the Chapin Eagles were able to swoop it from them and were successful in retaining possession this year.

Although many aspects of the Chapin- Mid-Carolina rivalry have changed over the years, these two rivals are always determined to earn the privilege to ring the bell victoriously after the final seconds tick off. With last game’s projected attendance of 6,500 to 7,000, this rivalry doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.