1. Battle of the Golden Cobb
GRANT PARK, IL- Grant Park isa small towninthe middle of nowhere.Itisa peaceful town
withmanygreat characters.It is alsoa townthat lovesitsstudentathletes.The GrantPark Dragonsare
responsible formanysmiles inthistownlately.The men’sbasketball teamhashadone of the most
historicrunsthe state of Illinoishaseverseen.The Dragonsare 23-0 and will be hostingtheirrival,the
BeecherBobcatsthisweek.The Bobcatsare 17-6 butare alsoon a six game winningstreak.Bothtowns
are excitedforthisFriday’scontest.
The Grant Park Dragonshave an amazingtalentinJay Matthews.The 6”3 seniorguardhas had
an excitinganddominatingseason.Matthewsisaveragingabout25pointsa game witheightassistsper
contest.Scoutshave beencomparingMatthewstoNBA legendand Hall of famerLarry Bird.The
BeecherBobcatsthoughare 5-1 againstMatthewsduringhishighschool career.The 6”4 juniorScott
Cobstill willhave the responsibilityof guardingMatthewsonFridaynight.Cobstill isaveragingabout18
pointsa contestwithovertenassistsa game.The match-upisbuildinguptobe a contestto remember
for ages.
The two towns’schoolshave one of the mosthistoricrivalriesinsportstoday.The rivalry is
knownas “The Battle of the GoldenCobb”.Thisrivalrydatesbackto 1919, the BeecherBobcatshave a
slightleadoverthe Dragonsof Grant Park.Both townsare knownasfarmingareas.Corn isthe main
crop that bothtownsgrow and theyfeltthatthe GoldenCobbwasthe perfectawardforthe winnerof
the serieseachseason.The Dragonswonthe lastcontestinNovemberwitha78-63 victoryleadby
Matthews38 points.The Bobcatswere withoutCobstill inthatcontestandsurelywithhiminthe line-
up,the Bobcatswill lookfora differentresult.The game thisFridaywill mostlikelybe the one battle
that no one will wanttomiss.Can Matthewsleadthe Dragonsto anothervictoryor will Cobstillandthe
Bobcats make history?Iguessyouwill justhave to waittill thisFriday’scontest.
Written by: Jeremy Twohig