The longest running rivalry in Kentucky high school football wrote another chapter on Friday night when the (66) Manual Rams upset the (24) Male Bulldogs 24-14.
This rivalry has been one of the most steady and aggressive contests in area football, and for good reason. The game itself dates back to a game in which the Louisville schools faced off for a simple letter, the “M.”
As was customary at the time in high school football the letter that represented your team was a source of pride, and for clear reasons both Manual and Male had a claim on that letter. To decide who would be officially granted the “M” the two schools agreed to a football game, much like Friday’s. And, like Friday’s Manual managed to pull together to claim the victory and the letter. In response Male took the letter “H” for high school, and the first emblem one sees when entering Manual high school is a three dimensional “M” proudly emblazoned on the floor.
In more modern news though, Friday’s game proved to be quite the shock to many in attendance at Male’s stadium, as noted by the Kentucky state rankings noted earlier. In addition the Rams have had their struggles this season as noted by a record well-below 500 at 3-6. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs came into Friday’s game right at 500 with a record of 4-5. None the less, Manual managed to come together to gradually ease the Dogs out of the game.
Both teams will play out their final regular season game on Friday, Manual will see (180) Moore at home with a kick-off time at 7:30, meanwhile at that same time Male will square off at (68) Christian Academy of Louisville.
Putting state rankings aside, currently as the regular season begins to look towards its finale the top ten schools in the area include in order: (1) Trinity, (4) St. Xavier, (12) Central, (13) Pleasure Ridge Park, (21) Eastern, (23) Butler, (24) Male, (33) Collins, (35) Ballard, and the list is rounded out with (42) Shelby County.
Image components courtesy of DuPont Manual High School and ETeamz/ Image by Dave Rose
