Standing in line at Giovanni’s last Friday night, I met two young guys named Charlie and Hunter. They were a little antsy about hurrying up and getting a table because they had a place to go, people to see and a job they needed to accomplish.

It was easy for them to catch my eye because they had the sides of their face painted red and white. Through conversations with the two boys, I learned that GRC would be playing Montgomery County.

Oh, how that evoked memories for me and my husband when we were their age. We thought about how we felt when we were to play our biggest rival.

It was a game we looked most forward to but also dreaded the most.

For me and my siblings, we knew if Clark County did not win the basketball game, we had to face the Montgomery County kids the next morning at church and be chided.

The same emotion held true for them. We both hated having to face the opposition after a loss. Luckily for us, I think Clark County came out ahead during that time.

My husband recalled that after one game, the anger from a Montgomery County fan resulted in our showcase of trophies being smashed and having to be replaced.

We also mentioned how it was the same rivalry within the county when Clark County HIgh School had to play Winchester High School. I remember quite a few stories from those events. The same held true when Camargo played the city school of Mt. Sterling High.

It is hard to believe all the changes have taken place within our county when you look back, but how that particular rivalry has remained the same. I often wondered why the same emotions were not the same for the other connecting counties but it never was. It was only for Montgomery County that we felt we had more at stake in the win or loss.

I have to say Charlie and Hunter were ready for the game that night with the same enthusiasm we felt many years ago. I told them if GRC did not win last night, I would know they did not yell loud enough. They assured me they were going to do their part and I told them I would write about them if they won!

The score was in Clark’s favor by 12 points. I had a visual image of Charlie and Hunter feeling proud after the game.

I do thank Charlie and Hunter for bringing back those memories. I was also happy that I had done my part for them to get a clear view of the game because when I looked at Hunter I noticed his glasses looked dirty so I offered to clean them for him. Where he had painted his face he had two big blotches of paint on his glasses.

My kindness resulted in getting paint on my new black top.

Oh well, you win some and lose some.