Last Backyard Brawl Meyers vs GAR High School Wilkes Barre PA скачать в хорошем качестве

Last Backyard Brawl Meyers vs GAR High School Wilkes Barre PA

Last Backyard Brawl Meyers vs GAR High School Wilkes Barre PA Saturday’s all-day rain wasn’t nearly enough to wash away the enthusiasm for the tailgate billed as the “Last Call for the Brawl.” Alumni from GAR and Meyers descended on the city’s Miner Park before the schools played likely their last game on the gridiron. “The weather isn’t going to dampen our mood,” said Greg Skrepenak, a 1987 GAR alum who played in the NFL in the 1990s. “We are going to enjoy this.” The event was organized by Skrepenak and Mohawks alum Gene Maffei. “Gene and I chose to set this tailgate up to celebrate both of our schools through this rivalry,” said Skrepenak, 48. “We will enjoy the day. But we will back the new schools as best we can.” The city’s three high schools — Coughlin, GAR and Meyers — will play as a single entity for Wilkes-Barre Area starting with the 2019-20 academic year. The move comes ahead of a planned merger of all three schools into the Wilkes-Barre Area Wolfpack. When Skrepenak officially found out this year’s rivalry game would be the final one in the saga that began in 1931, he knew he needed to do something. “We were toying with it all summer,” he said. “But when we knew it was the final one, the tailgate was the right thing to do. We decided to call up the troops and organize some things.” After graduating from GAR, Skrepenak played football at Michigan and then for the Oakland Raiders and Carolina Panthers in the NFL. So it’s safe to say he’s been a part of some intense rivalries. “I can say without hesitation, this rivalry is just as intense, just as hard-hitting and important to the fans and players than any rivalry game I’ve ever played in,” the former All-American noted. According to Skrepenak, the rivalry takes on a new meaning when you stop playing. “Camaraderie and friendship comes to the forefront,” he added. “You see it today. Everyone is having a great time.” Skrepenak’s Meyers counterpart, Maffei, has his own fond memories of taking on his cross-town rivals. “When I was a player, this game always meant a lot,”said Maffei, a 1986 graduate of Meyers. “My father actually played for GAR back in the day. Today is really special because my son is playing in the last game of the rivalry. “I will also never forget when I threw a 64-yard touchdown to Raghib ‘Rocket’ Ismail with 24 seconds left in the game to beat GAR,” Maffei, 50, added. Maffei mentioned that the rivalry between the two schools was over when the game clock ended. “On the field, we always played each other fierce,” he mentioned. “People think we hated each other. We didn’t. We respected one another.” He continued: “The bottom line of today’s tailgate was not to harp on the rivalry but for everyone to enjoy the day and get ready for a great game.” ‘All smiles here’ Before he starred at the University of Pittsburgh, Shakir Soto played under the lights at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium. “It’s a beautiful thing seeing people from GAR and Meyers come together to bond and talk about the old times,” said Soto, the 2013 GAR grad. “It’s all smiles here. I’ve seen some people here today that I haven’t seen in awhile.” Soto noted the chilly rain did not prevent a strong turnout for the tailgate. He spoke to players on the current GAR roster on Friday night. “I told the kids that this game is one that you will remember for the rest of your life.” He holds the rivalry between the Mohawks and Grenadiers in high regard like Skrepenak. “Wilkes-Barre is home for me,” the GAR standout said. “Pittsburgh is like a second home but all my hard work came through here. No rivalry is going to be bigger than this one is to me.” Matthew DeMarco, 23, said his favorite part of the rivalry was the week leading up to the game. “At Meyers, we had Spirit Week which got us pumped for the week,” he recalled. “I never beat GAR when I played but the game was always fun to be in.” DeMarco continued: “It’s awesome to see everyone come together because at this time next year everyone will be together.” When the tailgate ended, fans made the short walk to the stadium to watch the final “Backyard Brawl.” A sold-out crowd rocked the stadium with chants and cheers as Meyers moved to 45-41-1 all-time against their rivals with a hard-fought 21-14 victory. For more on the game action, see the sports section, page 1C. And if you cannot get enough of this rivalry, there’s actually a very small chance these two rivals could meet again in the district championship game if they happened to advance that far in the postseason. Fingers crossed!