The Bell Willl Ring Blue?

DING-DONG!
Tonight the bell will ring in Pueblo. The oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi still survives. At 7:00 MST the Central Wildcats will take on the Centennial Bulldogs. Dutch Clark Stadium will be rocked tonight by 15,000 students, staff, alumni and football fans.

Fans heading to the Bell Gam

The Bell Game as it's commonly known in Pueblo will mark the 125th game between the two competitors. I know Bell Game sounds a little strange to those not from Pueblo; so I'll try to explain. Every year since 1892 Central and Centennial take to the field to prove dominance. Imagine a small version of the Liberty Bell coated in blue or red. That's what's at stake at tonight's showdown. As a Pueblo native stated, "I don't want to know how many coats of paint are on that bell." The winning team earns the honor of keeping the colored bell until the next year. According to online sources Central has won the Bell game 56 times and Centennial has taken possession 51 times. Over the years, there were 9 tie games.

Central's Wildcat

My grandma was a majorette at Central and my mom cheered along with the Pep club. My aunt enjoyed watching the Wildcats win the same year they went to state. "The bell rings blue" has been a common saying at Central High School for decades at school assemblies. Although I might be a little biased, I think history has proven that the Wildcats have a decent chance of winning.

As early as 4:00 PM cars have been backed up for blocks heading to the game. Loyal fans in painted vehicles from both schools lined 4th Street and was backed up passed Midtown. Somewhere between 8-12 police cars are currently monitoring the game to prevent rowdies from going too far. Back the 1970s some Centennial fans painted the grass at Central with red paint. Central officials warned students not to retaliate.

Cars spilled out of the stadium lot to neighboring streets

I like to think if I'd stayed living in Pueblo, I would be a Central alumni. Even though I'm not, I'm still rooting for the Wildcats to defeat the Bulldogs tonight. Go Wildcats!