Lakers and Celtics. Yankees and Red Sox. Redskins and Cowboys. Spartans and Bruins. Rivalries are one of the greatest aspects of sports. 

Since the beginning of sports, rivalries have been a huge crowd pleaser. Spectators wait in anticipation for the benches to be cleared at a Yankees-Red Sox game. Players talk more trash and play more physically than usual. Rivalry games are more personal for the players, and they’re not just limited to the pros.

“I think that [rivalries] are more competitive in high school,” said sophomore Matt Ahola. “In the pro[fessional leagues], players get traded all the time, but for seniors it’s their last game against them.”

Bringing home a rivalry win is especially important in high school. It’s not uncommon for players on opposing teams know each other in high school games, which creates a more personal rivalry than two teams that don’t know each other off the field.

At WS, most would consider our rivals to be anyone in the Patriot District, but Robinson and Lake Braddock are two of the biggest standouts.

“High school [fans] are more emotional,” said senior David Jo. “That’s why we want to win rivalry games.”

There are just a few weeks every year where WS athletes prepare to face the Rams or the Bruins, and they can always count on the stands to be packed to the breaking point.

“We would rather beat Lake Braddock than an elite team,” said Jo.

After practicing for weeks, athletes tend to start going through the motions of practice rather than pushing themselves to their limit. Playing a rival team gives the players a second wind in the middle of the season, it sparks the players into working harder to beat the Bruins or the Rams.

“I think we go harder because we know them,” said Ahola. “They live so close to us that we just can’t handle losing to them.”