High school football: Marion County Game of the Week and 50 years of Color Wars
Vanguard (6-3) and Forest (5-4) meet in the regular-season football finale Friday night at 7, both needing wins. Forest wants to keep its season alive, and Vanguard wants to be the top dog in the playoffs.
Both teams come into the game with some of the country’s best players. Vimel Polle Jr. emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the area. Fred Gaskin is a dynamic force on both sides of the ball. Tae Floyd is in the Top 10 in the country and No. 1 in Marion County with 21 sacks. Joshua Rembert is a lightning rod that scored four of his nine touchdowns on returns.
“This is the game on the calendar you put a circle around," Forest coach Eoghan Cullen said. "This week, we spent a lot of time teaching the kids about the history of the rivalry.”
It’s the 50th meeting of Vanguard and Forest in the Color Wars. We’ll have more on that and more as we look into the Ocala Star-Banner Game of the Week.
Catch up on last week: Live scoreboard: High school football in Lake, Sumter counties enters Week 10
Last week's G.O.W.: High School Football: Vanguard Welcomes Powerhouse, West Port plays Forest on Friday night
Two schools with a rich history
When Ocala took steps toward desegregation in 1970, the county split Howard, the all-Black high school, and Ocala, the all-white high school, into Forest and Vanguard high schools. They shared Booster Stadium.
Forest took the gold from Howard high school, and Vanguard took the blue to give the schools their iconic colors.
“It’s a great talking point to talk to the kids about desegregation because that stuff to them is lifetimes ago, but in reality, it wasn’t that long ago,” Cullen said.
Vanguard once shared its home field with Forest. The newly formed Vanguard didn’t have its campus stadium yet.
Every Wildcat versus Knight football game decides what color the locker room would be for a year. They played early versions of the showdown on Thanksgiving.
The records
This will be the 50th edition of the Color War. Vanguard leads the all-time matchup with a 28-20-1 record.
Forest held a two-game lead in 2012. Then the Knights won 10 consecutive matchups.
“We’re going to try to end that Friday night,” Cullen said.
Present-day look
A lot is riding on this game for both teams. A win for Forest gives the Wildcats their first winning season in five years. It also opens up a playoff chance.
It’s all about seeding for Vanguard. The Knights' chances at home-field advantage to start the playoffs ride with another win and scoring points toward final calculations.
The Knights are riding a three-game win streak into Friday night. Defeating their cross-town rival would be a great boost to the postseason fire.
Forest will finish the season at .500 if it loses. It would improve on last year’s record in the first year under Cullen. This team wants more than that. Forest could cause problems for a team in a playoff setting.
Keys to victory
Forest’s Cullen: “On defense, we have to contain number four (Gaskin) and number one (Rembert). We’ve got to tackle these guys because if we don’t, their speed is going to kill us.”
Vanguard will need to protect the pocket while Gaskin keeps the play alive when Floyd inevitably gets in the backfield. The Knights’ defense will need to contain Poole Jr. Expect the Vanguard offense to pressure the Wildcats secondary.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Marion County High School Football Vanguard, Forest 50th Color War
