The City High and West High rivalry has always been very intense and highly watched, involving many different sports. This year is no different with the Little Hawks heading across the river to face the Trojans on their home turf in a big matchup for football.
The rivalry can be dated back to 1968 when West High was opened up on the other side of the river. This created new zoning for the school districts and split classes in half that had been going to school together for years. This created lots of competition among the two teams as athletes now faced off against their former teammates, as well as friends.
At first, City and West did not play against each other in football but did in many other sports such as basketball, wrestling, tennis, and baseball. The environment of competing with longtime friends has always been an amazing atmosphere at many sporting events with lots of people showing their support on both sides.
Current quarterback Bobby Bacon ’25 believes the rivalry is very real.
“I’ve grown up with City High football my whole life wanting to win the boot, so every time we play them there’s definitely a little extra passion,” Bobby said.
The Little Hawks have beat West High the last three seasons and are looking to replicate that success this year.
Senior volleyball captain Emmy McComas talks about the build-up towards the games with West. With everyone looking forward to it with a little extra chip on their shoulder.
“A lot of pride goes into the rivalry, and it’s a huge tradition,” Emmy said.
The fight for bragging rights is only emboldened by the Spike, the heavily sought-after trophy for winning the game between the two schools. The joy of winning this game is only intensified by the rivalry. Senior Georgia Sieben remembers just how fun these games can be.
“Rivalry games are so exciting, and I love playing them with my teammates!”
Even while being intense, these rivalry games can often be very fun and memorable events for all involved.
Many different sports across City High share similar sentiments about West High. Very similar to when the two schools first split, friends were being pitted against each other, and still share many facilities. Tennis is one of these sports, and they share the HTRC and often compete against each other. Abhay Anil ’25 is one of those who feels very strongly about the rivalry, offering his view of the rivalry.
“Competing against West High always brings an extra level of intensity. The rivalry feels deeply personal due to our shared history and the fact that many of us practice together at the HTRC. The rivalry is more than just a competition; it’s a tradition that drives us to give our best every time we face them, knowing how much it means to both our schools.” Anil said.
Senior Amelie Donovan has had a very similar experience and always looks forward to it.
“The atmosphere is always so fun, especially the last matchup we had with West, Sydney Geisen and Hattie Conover played a long doubles match and beat West, it was just so fun to watch, the energy is always great and the rivalry just makes the games more fun,” Amelie said.
Every time these two schools meet it is a highly watched and anticipated match up with many from each side showing their support. This year in sports is no different as the rivalry is as fierce as ever and will continue to be a staple in Iowa City, as the two teams from across the river duke it out year after year.
