The Emotion Bowl.
Those three words bring up a lot of, well, 'emotion' (no pun intended) to many supporters of Idaho Falls High School and Skyline High School athletics. It's a tradition deeply rooted in the history of Idaho Falls itself that continues today. Students, alumni, and fans from all over wait for this game every single season.
No matter what the record of either team, how many injuries one team may have, or the effect of the weather on playing conditions, if there is one thing that history has taught us, it's this: Expect the Unexpected.
One team could be a three to four touchdown underdog and somehow, inexplicably, come up with the victory. The other team could throw a "Hail-Mary" pass on the last play of the game into triple coverage and still come up with the game-winning touchdown catch. Or a team could decide to bring a live Bengal Tiger onto their sideline as extra motivation (it's true, it happened in 1977).
Whatever the case may be, always expect the unexpected in the Emotion Bowl. I'm sure the students of IFHS didn't expect to lose the first EIGHT games played against the then-new Skyline High School back in the late 60's and early 70's.
This year's edition of the Idaho Falls Tigers (1-4) got off to a rather slow start, losing their first four games by an average of 31 points per game. The defense had issues with tackling and coverage while the offense couldn't get their engine running until late in games. But last week's 36-21 victory over the Minico Spartans turned some heads and had most everyone wondering "Where has this team been all season?" Maybe that game was a mere 'prequel' or 'sneak peek' of what we may see on Friday night.
The Skyline Grizzlies (2-3) also struggled out of the gate this season, losing their first two games before picking up a win against Rigby. After stumbling against Century, the Grizz knocked off the Twin Falls Bruins in last Friday's "Magic Valley Game of the Week". Skyline has some momentum as well entering this Friday's game, which also happens to be their first conference game of the season. Can they keep it going as they prepare for "The Big One"?
This year marks the 48th Emotion Bowl from Ravsten Stadium. Thousands of fans will pile through those concrete entrance gates to see the Tigers and the Grizz battle it out on the field for the chance to earn the right to paint those old goalposts in their respective schools' color.
This game may be even harder to pick than in years previous. History doesn't help either, as the designated "home" team has a record of 25-22. Both teams are relatively healthy coming into the game. Both teams are coming off of victories. And yes, both teams would do anything to be able to walk of the field as the winner of the 48th Emotion Bowl.
USA Today dubbed the Emotion Bowl as the 4th biggest high school football rivalry in the United States back in 2004. That was also the same year as "The Catch", when Skyline's Andy Miles caught a 48-yard touchdown pass as time expired to give the Grizzlies a 29-28 victory over the Tigers.
Will the goalposts change color once again? Will Idaho Falls win their first conference game of the season? Or will Skyline increase their series lead and win two Emotion Bowls in a row for the first time since 2000-2001?
The 48th Emotion Bowl will air LIVE starting at 6:45 p.m. on Friday night here on IdahoSports.com. Join myself and veteran IdahoSports.com broadcaster Lorin Jensen for the broadcast from Ravsten Stadium in Idaho Falls.
http://www.idahosports.com/gamestreams/player/default.aspx?webcastid=3512
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