As the new year is upon us, one of the great high school rivalries in the area will soon take center stage.
The Jefferson City and Helias boys basketball teams will hit the hardwood in the annual crosstown showdown, which rarely disappoints.
It's one of the great sports traditions in Jefferson City. Both teams are usually competitive and it's fun to watch.
It's the same way when Jefferson City and Helias get together in wrestling, baseball and softball. Ask any player, coach or fan, and that game means just a little more than the others.
But in the sport where both teams have seen the most success, they haven't seen each other on the field. Ever.
I'm sure I'm not the only one in this town who feels that way, but I think it's time the Jays and Crusaders took their rivalry to the gridiron.
Year after year, both teams are in the running for playoff berths and consistently finish in the top 10 in their respective classes.
I've heard a number of reasons why the Jays and Crusaders shouldn't meet on the football field, and none of them have ever convinced me to change my mind.
Some people think the crowd might be out of control. I'm not so sure that would be the case. Helias and Jefferson City fans have coexisted in this town for decades. I'm a Jefferson City graduate. My neighbors send their kids to Helias. I've had friends who went to Helias. I played sports when I was younger with kids from Helias. We coexisted just fine.
While I understand there would probably be a few isolated problems, I'm pretty sure a riot wouldn't ensue.
Some people have argued there would not be a stadium big enough to hold the crowd. That just sounds like an excuse. One way to fix that is to bring in temporary bleachers. Once those are filled, people can stand until the fire marshal says no more people are allowed. There have been times when the boys basketball game between the two have sold out.
I've heard the argument how Jefferson City might not want to play a Class 4 school, and Helias might not want to play a Class 6 school. That isn't true. The Jays have played Class 4 juggernaut Webb City twice in the last decade. In recent seasons, Helias played Rock Bridge and Hickman, both Class 6 schools.
Some could argue Helias is afraid to lose to Jefferson City, and Jefferson City is afraid to lose to Helias. While that argument is valid as to why Missouri rarely plays Saint Louis University or Missouri State in basketball, it doesn't seem to hold a lot of weight at the high-school level. They play in every other sport, so I'm not sure whey either would be afraid to lose to the other in football.
The change in the playoff system would seem to add another obstacle to the situation. Because strength of schedule is now a part of the formula for seeding the district tournament, Helias would get a boost if it played Jefferson City. The Jays would not get a boost, but would not get penalized for playing a Class 4 team.
But the new format also makes it harder for teams who aren't in a conference to schedule games. Both Helias and Jefferson City are independents, and could potentially have trouble filling schedules down the road. ... Hmm?
Jefferson City coach Ted LePage is a Helias graduate. Helias athletic director Doug Light used to coach girls basketball at Jefferson City.
If Jefferson City and Helias competed in tiddlywinks it would draw a crowd. In fact, I would probaly go watch.
The time for this to happen has come, and 2012 sounds like as good of a year as any.