Michelle Berthiaume
Sports Editor
Rivalry is defined as competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field. Rivalries exist throughout high school, college, and professional sports. Auburn vs. Alabama, Lakers vs. Celtics, Red Sox vs. Yankees, Browns vs. Bengals, Duke vs. North Carolina.
No matter which match-up comes to your mind when you hear the world “rival,” you know the coveted feeling of beating that team, but you also know the heartbreak and despair when you lose.
Some rivalries have years of ups and downs. Currently, the Keene State College and Plymouth State University rivalry is in a dormant state. Yes, there’s nothing like beating the Plymouth State University Panthers, if you ask any KSC athlete. But the rivalry is not quite what it used to be.
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Regardless of the KSC vs. PSU rivalry’s dormant state, one of the two teams will still win the President’s Trophy at the end of the year.
KeeneOwls.com said, “The President’s Trophy, which was initiated in 1997 when KSC moved to Division III, is awarded to the school, either KSC or PSU, that accumulates the most head-to-head regular-season victories each year.”
KSC and PSU exchanged victories for the first five years, but KSC has dominated ever since. The President’s Trophy currently sits in the Spaulding Gymnasium., where it will stay until PSU re-captures the title.
KSC Athletic Director John Ratliff said he thinks the athletic department at KSC has continuously improved over the past ten years. On the other hand, Ratliff said the PSU athletic department has not seen the same successes.
KSC Men’s Basketball coach and assistant athletic director, Robert Colbert asked, “Well is it that Plymouth State is getting worse? Or is Keene State just getting better?”
Another piece of hardware that the KSC athletic department continues to house in the Spaulding Gymnasium trophy case is the LEC Commissioners Cup. According to the Little East Conference website, “The Commissioner’s Cup is awarded to the Little East Conference school which accumulates the most points in the conference’s 18 sports during each school year. “
John Ratliff said that KeSC has captured the Commissioner’s Cup every year since its inauguration into the league in 2000.
On the other hand, PSU has ranked at the bottom half of the Little East Conference standings since the new millennium.
So, why are Plymouth State University and Keene State College even rivals in the first place?
KSC senior and a four-year member the of the KSC Men’s Basketball team Eric Fazio said, “It’s definitely a great feeling beating them. It’s the only other in state Division III school we play against. To get that win, it kind of makes you the best team in New Hampshire.”
Former Plymouth State University Men’s Basketball coach John Schiemann said, “It was a very intense, respectful rivalry when I was there. I personally always enjoy going back to Keene nowadays.”
Schiemann added that the two schools are very entangled with one another which could be a possible reason for the rivalry. For example, Schiemann said, “Ron Butcher is in the Plymouth State hall of fame. He is a Plymouth State graduate. My wife, Susan Woodworth Schiemann is in the Keene State hall of fame. My point is that there’s a lot of intertwining.”
Current PSU Men’s Basketball coach Andrew Novick said, “Competing in the same conference at the same levels, I think that breeds a natural rivalry between the two schools.“
But the rivalry is not quite what it used to be, Schiemann said.
Fazio said, “It’s changed a little since I’ve been here. The basketball games used to be a lot closer. The last two years, it wasn’t as close
as a rivalry as far as standings go. But the crowds always get rowdy.”
Fazio added, “No matter what, it’s going to be a bloodbath. They are always going to be a fight. We need to make sure everyone understands that.”
Although the rivalry may be dormant, KSC athletics agree that they still enjoy winning a game against Plymouth State University. So far this year, KSC has captured three of the four games played between the two rivals.
Helping capture one of those wins was first year women’s soccer player, Beverly Cole. The KSC Women’s Soccer team beat PSU, 5-0, earlier this season. Cole recently transferred from the University of New Hampshire. But hailing from New Hampshire, Cole said the rivalry wasn’t a big surprise. She said she knew about it before attending KSC.
Cole added, “My team said that we usually beat them by a couple goals. But they get chippy in the second half. Once they start losing they start getting really physical.”
Another semi-new participant to the rivalry is head men’s basketball coach at Plymouth State University, Andrew Novick.
Novick is in his second year at the helm of the men’s basketball program. “I am relatively new to the rivalry. But certainly growing up in this area, I recognize how special the rivalry has been to the two schools,” Novick said.
On the other hand, director of Campus Safety, Amanda Warman remembers the good ol’ days of the Panther-Owl rivalry. “It used to be the best game of the year,” Warman said.
Whether the rivalry is at its height or nearing an end, memories have been made.
Coach Robert Colbert said he remembers a victory in 2004 over PSU as his favorite memory. The KSC men’s basketball team came from behind to beat the Panthers, 79-67.
With this win, KSC claimed their first ever Little East Conference basketball championship.
Head coach of men’s soccer at PSU, Rob Wright said he also has some fond memories of the rivalry itself.
Wright said his favorite was on Sept. 30, 2006 in Plymouth, N.H. “We had a big, big crowd, about 800 or 900 people. And we ended up scoring with a few seconds left in double overtime. And it doesn’t really get any more dramatic than that,” Wright said.
Head volleyball coach at KSC Bob Weiner said he also has a handful of memories from the rivalry. Weiner said he remembers a time when his team got a big win in Plymouth.
On his drive home, electing to not take the team bus back, Weiner got a speeding ticket.
Weiner said the speeding ticket was given to him because he was driving happy. “No one should ever let me drive happy,” Weiner said.
Weiner added, “I never told my wife about that. But I guess she will know now.”
KSC senior Eric Fazio said his favorite memory from the rivalry was from his freshman year. The Owls faced off against the Panthers at the Spaulding Gymnasium for the annual “White-Out” game.
Fazio said the crowd was so intense and so into the game, it was a great experience to play in front of a crowd like that. Fazio also said that the team lost the game but that it was more about the experience.
Comparing the rivalry to one in professional sports may prove difficult for some. Novick said, “The great thing about sports is that no two rivalries are the same. I don’t know that it can be compared to anything. It’s unique in it’s own fashion. And that’s probably what makes it special.”
Ratliff said he would compare it to the rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns.
Ratliff said that if you ever lived in Ohio, which Ratliff has, that rivalry is very important to you. But for everyone else, it doesn’t really mean that much.
To KSC athletes, there’s nothing like beating Plymouth State University, no matter what state their rivalry currently stands in.
Michelle Berthiaume can be contacted at mberthiaume@keene-equinox.com