Rivals on the field, friends in the stands: fans who defy sides in the county clash

Oct. 19—Spirits soared and sank like a roller coaster during the nail-biting, nerve-racking County Clash between Tuscola and Pisgah Friday night — an epic game that lived up to its title as one of the greatest high school football rivalries in the country.

The stakes were mighty high for Tuscola fan Carroll Postell. He had a $1 bet riding on the game against his Pisgah buddy Dale Godfrey. The two have swapped dollars in the county clash for 40 years.

"He's actually had to pay me nine years in a row," Godfrey said, referring to Pisgah's winning streak.

Despite Pisgah's lead early in the game, Postel had faith that this would be his year to recoup some of his deficit.

"We'll come back. We are just getting off to a nervous start," Postell said.

The two were in their usual perch, high above the field by the press box, each cheering for their respective teams.

"Hold 'em up, hold 'em up boys," Godfrey hollered as Pisgah went in for a tackle. Postell grimaced.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stadium, Suella Wilson and Tanner Kirkpatrick were huddled together to stave off the cold — Wilson is a former Tuscola cheerleader, and Kirkpatrick is a former Pisgah football player.

It was their first time sitting on the same side of the field, each decked out in their respective team's attire.

"Tonight I will be the one boasting," Kirkpatrick predicted. "I think Pisgah is finally starting to show up after a rocky season."

Wilson wasn't fazed, however.

"We talk smack to each other all the time," she said.

When the couple started dating this summer, Kirkpatrick gave Wilson a sweatshirt — a classic teenage ritual that seals a relationship. It was none other than a Pisgah sweatshirt, of course, and it wasn't the first bold move on Kirkpatrick's part.

"The first time she came to my house, I wore the hat you get if you win the rivalry game," he said. "Being a Tuscola cheerleader, she'd never seen one of those before."

For David and Brooke Bulko, they've long since come to terms with living in a house divided. As Tuscola closed in for the win in double overtime, David basked in the glory of finally being the one to go home with bragging rights.

"I've had to listen to her for the last nine years," said David, a Tuscola fan.

Brooke, a Pisgah fan, said her husband has taken the losing streak in stride, however.

"He's a pretty good sport. He always says, 'Next year, we'll get 'em,'" Brooke said.

The reality of a split marriage didn't fully sink in until Brooke got pregnant. Debating whether to raise their child a Pisgah or Tuscola fan, David made his wife a deal. If the baby was a girl, Brooke could lay claim to her.

"If it was a boy, I said he would go to Tuscola and play football. Show her your jersey, Eli," David said to his son, who unzipped his jacket to reveal the Tuscola black and gold.

Side by side

Spectator seating was more mixed up than usual at Friday night's game, with open seating for all fans on both sides of the stadium.

Despite being Pisgah's turn to host the county clash, the game was played on Tuscola's field. That's because flood repairs to Pisgah's field aren't yet finished, forcing Pisgah to play its home games in borrowed stadiums for the second season in a row.

As a result, there was no designated seating for the home team and away team.

Figuring out which side to sit on was doubly complicated for Kendall Inman and Natalie Rogers, best friends at Bethel Middle School who happen to cheer for opposing teams. They ultimately found a spot on the homeside, which was weighted toward Tuscola.

"It is kinda awkward because there aren't many Pisgah people on this side," said Inman.

But her friend Mason Young wasn't daunted.

"I just yell real loud, and everyone stares at us," he said.

Skipping the hassle of picking a side to sit on, Cliff Henderson and his buddies took up their usual post along the fence at the end zone.

"We always camp out right here, because we got Tuscola guys and Pisgah guys," said Henderson, a Pisgah fan who was feeling pretty good with Pisgah in the lead. "I think all the Tuscola fans were feeling over confident going into the game, and now we've got them right where we want them."

The divided fan party included former Pisgah football player Allan Clontz and his son-in-law Chris Smith, a former Tuscola player. Clontz begrudgingly approved of his daughter's marriage.

"But he definitely holds it against me," Smith said.

A testament to their camaraderie, the foursome went in on 300 raffle tickets and planned to split the take if one of them was the lucky winner.

The 50-50 raffle, which tallied over $16,000 in prize winnings, was one of the main draws for Jacquelin Hall, Pisgah class of 2001.

"That's why you come, to win the 50-50," said Hall, decked out in all red, down to her shoes.

'Anything can happen'Back down on the sidelines, Leanne Trull and Jessica Bryant were taking a trip down memory lane after running into each other enroute to the concession stand. They were former girl's basketball rivals back in the mid-2000s — Trull with Pisgah and Bryant with Tuscola.

"I love running into people I haven't seen in awhile," Trull said. "You can't beat this atmosphere. It's so electric and so fun, and you get to see some really good football."

With Pisgah in the lead toward the end of the fourth quarter, mingling was the last thing on the mind of Aaron Herbertson, a former Tuscola football player.

He was a senior in 2012, the last year Tuscola had won the county clash. The intervening nine years have been "heartbreaking," he said.

While Tuscola was down on the scoreboard as the the end of the game drew near, he held out hope, however.

"Anything can happen. It's a Pisgah and Tuscola game," Herbertson said.

Despite Tuscola's undefeated season, Pisgah fans also believed anything could happen.

"I expected it to be nip and tuck no matter what the record of each team was," said Bill Upton, former Pisgah principal watching from the Pisgah side. "I expected it to be a close ballgame."

Back up at the top of the stands by the press box, Godfrey and Postell still had their dollar bills at the ready. Down to the wire in double overtime, who would win the night's bet was still anyone's guess.

Neither would go home too sore about it though.

"I pull for both Pisgah and Tuscola, except for this one ballgame," said Godfrey, wearing his Tuscola sweatshirt.

The scoreboard wasn't top of mind for Caleb Lipe and Traygon Eidson, however. The two 14-year-old pals — Lipe a Pisgah fan and Eidson a Tuscola fan — had stripped down to bare their chests, claiming they weren't at all cold.

As for spending game night with a buddy from the opposing side?

"We didn't really pay attention to that," Eidson said.

"Heck, we're just kinda screwing off, hanging out with our pals, having a good time," Lipe said.