As of noon Friday, 549 chin-ups and counting down were all that separated Jefferson City High School from being recognized as the champion over David H. Hickman High School in a more than century-old historic rivalry that's been recognized by a national series that highlights such face-offs.
JCHS and Hickman battled on the football field Friday night on Jefferson City's home turf, too, but the Great American Rivalry Series added an extra opportunity for dominance by one of the schools in a chin-up competition.
As of 12:01 p.m., JCHS students had collectively done 158 chin-ups and counting on a pull-up bar positioned off to one side of the high school's cafeteria during lunch - Hickman's tally to beat had been 706.
The winner of the chin-up competition - which was scheduled to continue Friday night through halftime of the football game - gets a trophy for the challenge.
Marine Sgt. Virgilio Bugarinahnee is a recruiter at the local Marine Corps recruiting office in Jefferson City, and he oversaw the chin-up competition Friday. Bugarinahnee said such events are a good way to make contact with students.
The Marine Corps is one of the sponsors of the Great American Rivalry Series, which was started 15 years ago by a company now known as Brainbox Intelligent Marketing, based in Lexington, Kentucky.
Brainbox also counts the Marine Corps as a client - along with the Army, Air Force, Navy SEALs, Army National Guard and major sports-affiliated corporations Gatorade, Powerade, Hibbett Sports and Converse, according to Brainbox's website.
Brainbox's Great American Rivalry Series "shines the spotlight on top high school football rivalries across the nation where long-standing traditions are valued, expectations are sky high and followers are committed," according to the series' website.
The rivalry between Jefferson City and Hickman is 107 years old, according to JCHS's daily announcements newsletter Friday.
There's more to the Rivalry Series than trophies for the winning schools in the chin-up competition and football game, though, with scholarship money and hall of fame inductions available for both teams.
Seth Graham, an event planner with the Rivalry Series, said one $250 scholarship would be awarded to one student each from Jefferson City and Hickman.
Graham said the Series realizes that might not be a whole lot of money in college terms, but "we like to think that could go to some college books or whatever a kid needs."
The Series' website notes it's the "top senior student athlete from each school (who) receives the Rivalry Scholar Student-Athlete Scholarship Award" - Ryan Brooks, a wide receiver and safety from Jefferson City; and Charlie Monroe, running back and linebacker from Hickman.
The website also notes one player is selected as the game's MVP and would be awarded a trophy and medal, and "the host school receives a donation to their athletic program for participating in the Series."
Schools nominate themselves and are selected by the Series, Graham said.
A former player and coach would be inducted into the Series' hall of fame, he added - former Jefferson City player Ryan Griffin and former Hickman coach Tom Travis.