By RYAN S. CLARK
October 1, 2009
Posted: October 1, 2009, 7:33 PM CDT
Back in 1925, the Port Neches-Groves/Nederland football team was just a contest between schools in neighboring communities.
Now the Nederland-vs.-Port Neches-Groves rivalry means so much more than that. Known as “Mid-County Madness,” this game has been a platform for future NFL coaches such as Bum Phillips, who coached at both schools, and his son and current Dallas Cowboys coach, Wade. This game has treated fans to memorable performances such as when PN-G running back Jeff “The Jet” Bergeron ran for 347 yards and four touchdowns in 1971 for a 51-13 PN-G victory.
Tonight marks the 86th time that one of the state’s greatest rivalries will resume as quite a few players from both teams are looking to make few memories of their own.
In the case of Nederland players, winning this game could jump start a season, which has seen them lose quarterbacks Kirby Bellow and Tyler Smith to season-ending injuries.
Nederland senior linebacker and running back Grant Lovelady said he’s heard people use the team’s injuries as an excuse as to why the team has gone 1-3 this season including a 17-10 loss to Ozen last week to open District 20-4A play
“We do have a chance to win,” Lovelady said. “And if we do win, this would probably be one of the biggest wins in recent history because of all the circumstances.”
And then there’s PN-G, which under new coach Brandon Faircloth has gone undefeated in its first four games.
Winning this game would allow PN-G to add to its 47-31-7 series lead and get off to a 2-0 start in what’s expected to be a competitive District 20-4A season.
Plus, it would be the first Mid-County Madness win for PN-G since The Reservation underwent a $10.2 million renovation.
“It’s going to be a great game because I know on my end its going to be my first Mid-County Madness game and my last one too,” said PN-G cornerback Aaron Brandom. “We’ve heard about Nederland’s injuries and sickness, but we know that’s not going to stop them from wanting to win.”
Brandom, like many Nederland and PN-G players, grew up going to football games, but they always knew this one was special.
Brandom, who had two interceptions in PN-G’s 27-20 victory against LC-M, said when he went to games and played football underneath the bleachers with his friends.
Yet when it came time to play Nederland, he was in the bleachers instead of under them.
“I was six years old and I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,” Brandom said. “Then I went to a game against Nederland, it was like, `Wow.’ Ever since then, I knew that this game was a big deal.”
But players are not the only ones with memories of this game. Nederland coach Larry Neumann, who will be coaching in his 17th Mid-County Madness game, said he remembers that his first rivalry game in 1993 was an exciting game.
And he remembers winning the game. He just didn’t remember the score. (Nederland won 28-14.)
“I remember looking at my wife and family on the track and they were in tears,” said Neumann, who has amassed a 126-63-1 record at Nederland. “It was not about game, but it was because it was my first head coaching job and then it was because it was a big rivalry game. I remember the game for that reason.”
Faircloth, who has never coached in a Mid-County Madness game, has had his fair share of experiences in rivalry games.
When he was the offensive coordinator at Odessa Permian he coached in another legendary Texas rivalry game, Permian vs. Midland Lee.
But even he admits this is a little bit different than other games he’s coached in.
“For a lot of people its bragging rights at work or in the neighborhood because the district lines are so close together,” Faircloth said. “With this game, records go out the window because I knew what was going to happen, I’d bottle it up and sell it.”
