Talk of the Town

Months after the football season was over, but clearly not forgotten, the chant from the Norman North student section stifled the rest of the noise inside the Norman High gym. The North boys were on their way to a basketball victory and the North fans finally - finally - got the chance to rub it in. "Just like foot-ball, Just like foot-ball.'' And as the chant sank in and really, really marinated, so did the undying truth of the chant. North, the premier boys basketball and baseball in Norman over the past three seasons, is now the talk of the town in football, too. Make the case, if you want, that the Norman-Norman North football game wasn't a rivalry for the first near-decade since the schools and the towns split, but that argument stands a bit weaker these days. Thanks to a playoff win over Norman, a win that not only shook off the baggage of nine-consecutive losses to the Tigers, but also eliminated Norman from the playoffs, a healthy amount of offseason talk and then the transfer of a pair of players from Norman, a rivalry is born. Welcome to the Jenks-Union of the West. This is Norman-Norman North, a newborn in the Oklahoma high school rivalry world, but a newborn with fangs, bigger than Moore War, sharper than Edlam and meaner than the beasts of the East. "I can't say it's Jenks-Union or the Edmond rivalry, but it's big,'' said North coach Lance Manning. "It would be arrogant of me to say it's the biggest, but the meaning of this game has changed and grown.'' And right in the middle of the rivalry is Oklahoma's Owen Field; a backdrop that none of the other top games in the state can match. It's not Moore Stadium, University of Central Oklahoma or Tulsa's U's grand stage and none have featured a more stunning turn of events. "I think the question now is: Can Norman High beat North?,'' said North defensive end K.J. Williams. "Things have really changed.'' After all, it was Norman, not North that was on its way to a fine season a year ago. A 34-6 opening-night win over the Timberwolves ran the Tigers' streak to nine in a row over North. That win, plus eight more in a row put Norman at 9-0 heading into a district-deciding finale against Westmoore. And that's when things started to change. Norman lost to the Jaguars and then was thrown into a first-round playoff game against North, a 5-5 qualifier for the 6A playoffs. No need for a recap. North won 30-27. The talk started and the story changed. "It wasn't a rivalry until they won,'' said Norman coach Butch Peters. "Now our kids realize this is the real deal. They see the game in a different light, and that's good. Now, there some rubbing it in last year and I can understand that. There was some bitterness there. The administration wants to call it a friendly rivalry, and while I don't think there's a lot of animosity, I wouldn't call it friendly.'' That was November, this is August. Any sense of brotherhood and friendliness is gone and instead, bitterness has been simmering. Since that last game, Norman's Chika Madu and Michael Ford, starters for the Tigers, have crossed town and now wear green and silver, leaving behind plenty of discussion. Ford had 52 tackles and seven sacks last year. Madu, younger brother of former Norman standout and OU running back Mossis Madu, caught four touchdown passes and intercepted two passes. "It was the best decision for me,' Madu said. "I still love them, but it was something I had to do. Those guys at Norman will know why I did what I did when I'm playing on Saturday afternoons. I can understand why they would hate me, but only a few really understand my situation.'' Very few, in fact, and maybe no one on the team. While Peters didn't comment on either Ford or Madu's decision to leave, he did suggest that the team chemistry the Tigers have developed this summer is the best in years. "Ask anyone,'' Peters said. "They turned their back on me, so I'll do the same to them,'' said Norman High senior lineman Scott Davis. "I just can't understand why they left.'' Madu suggests his best bet to play major Division-I football will come by being at North, yet it's Norman High and Peters who have placed former standouts Mossis Madu and Ryan Broyles at Oklahoma. "They aren't paying for my school the next few years,'' Madu said. "But I guess I can't blame them for being mad at me. It adds a lot more tension to the game, and I like that. There's been a lot of talk, and by the time the game gets here, it's going to blow up. But I will say this: The roles have switched.'' Perhaps the major switch has been on paper. In addition to the two transfers, it's North, not High, that's expected to challenge for a state championship. Thanks to returning starters Tyler Tettleton at quarterback (1,866 yards passing, 10 touchdowns) and Beau Blankenship at running back (1,597 yards rushing, 16 touchdowns), as well as Williams, who is receiving numerous Division-I offers, North is loaded. Meanwhile, the Tigers will have a new feature running back, new quarterback and little star power. "We've moved on and we're not dwelling on last year,'' Peters said. "We've replaced those guys (Madu and Ford) and I would say our team chemistry is better than it's ever been.'' And the talk is louder than it's ever been. "There's just a different mindset here than there is there,'' said Norman's Davis. "It's Old School vs. New School. We'll run it and they'll love to spread it around. We keep quiet and they are the ones who do all the talking. Walk the hallways here, and you'll see there's no love for them. There's not many people around here who like North.'' And if Norman North wins again to open the 2007 season, undoubtedly this new rivalry will take on even more meaning. "I think it's the new Moore-Westmoore,'' Tettelton said. "The game has gotten meaner, and not many people realize how crazy it is.''