The Border Battle
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Newburyport vs. Triton
By: John Webber
NHS Class of ‘00
Sport creates rivalry, and in football some of the greatest rivalries come to life. Tradition, pride, and bragging rights are always on the line. At the collegiate ranks, the rivalry names precede their reputation… The Iron Bowl, The Backyard Brawl, The Red River Rivalry and The Civil War to name a few. These traditional rivalries usually have geographic significance and teams spawn rivalries based on their proximity to one another or for any number of reasons depending on who you ask.
High School football tends to follow suit; with big games, tradition and pride are on the line in rivalry games. In Newburyport, we have traditional “river rivals”, games played against Ipswich and Pentucket, teams flanking Newburyport to the East and West. We have our oldest rivalry, dating back to 1892, played against Amesbury every Thanksgiving morning; With this rivalry comes the fanfare, the homecoming for many and the tradition of the Color Day pep rally and festivities.
One of the most overlooked rivalries, however, and one of the biggest is Triton. The two schools were once one, during the days of the Northeast Conference and a powerhouse NHS program. Once Triton was built in 1971, allegiances were formed and a classic rivalry began. This became the game that pitted family against family, friend against friend and former teammates against one another. To the players, this is one to circle on the calendar. It seems that from year to year, this is the game where emotions run high and teams play as if there’s more on the line than just wins and losses.
There are more memories than miles between these two teams. It’s a quick ride over the marsh and a simple four miles between the schools. The intangibles that can not be measured however, are the passion and the intensity that goes into a Triton - Newburyport week.
This is the game, second to Thanksgiving in terms of emotion and attendance. We’ve seen fans rush the field, huge crowds and car horns escorting teams back home from road wins.
Classic battles between the Triton squads of Coach Corcoran and Coach Gaudiano’s Clippers often held league implications throughout the 80’s and 90’s.
Triton names through the ages, from Foley and Corkum, to Bazirgan, Volpone, the Verrier brothers and Emerzian can all bear witness to the passion and the intensity of a Newburyport game under the Friday night lights or on the frozen tundra of a windy October Saturday morning.
Likewise, since the creation of the Cape Ann League in 74’; Clippers such as the Twombleys, Gannon, Bashaws, Ladds, Sullivans, Clancy and Guthro are only a few of the notable names from the hundreds who have felt the glory of victory and the agony of defeat in this rivalry game.
While some sport rivalries seem to come and go depending on records, personnel and time, the battle for superiority and competition between these local schools has endured for over 40 seasons. It’s an exciting rivalry that some would love to see as a season opener or a homecoming game. To others, however, it is still that classic border battle game that pitted one brother against the other in the 1970’s and a tradition that continues to grow.
Epilogue:
A trophy was established for this rivalry game. The top being a old bronze football and the base having a front plaque which reads “The Border Battle Game”Awarded annually to the winner of the Newburyport - Triton football game. On one side of the trophy, an etching of a Viking Ship matted in blue and on the other, a Clipper Ship matted in Crimson. The winner would display, with their side facing out, in a trophy case until the next year, where the trophy would be displayed and again up for grabs and bragging rights for that year.
*In years past we have had situations that caused the two teams to meet on more than one occasion in a season due to the new playoff format. If this were to occur, the initial meeting would determine the trophy until the following season.
By: John Webber
NHS Class of ‘00
Sport creates rivalry, and in football some of the greatest rivalries come to life. Tradition, pride, and bragging rights are always on the line. At the collegiate ranks, the rivalry names precede their reputation… The Iron Bowl, The Backyard Brawl, The Red River Rivalry and The Civil War to name a few. These traditional rivalries usually have geographic significance and teams spawn rivalries based on their proximity to one another or for any number of reasons depending on who you ask.
High School football tends to follow suit; with big games, tradition and pride are on the line in rivalry games. In Newburyport, we have traditional “river rivals”, games played against Ipswich and Pentucket, teams flanking Newburyport to the East and West. We have our oldest rivalry, dating back to 1892, played against Amesbury every Thanksgiving morning; With this rivalry comes the fanfare, the homecoming for many and the tradition of the Color Day pep rally and festivities.
One of the most overlooked rivalries, however, and one of the biggest is Triton. The two schools were once one, during the days of the Northeast Conference and a powerhouse NHS program. Once Triton was built in 1971, allegiances were formed and a classic rivalry began. This became the game that pitted family against family, friend against friend and former teammates against one another. To the players, this is one to circle on the calendar. It seems that from year to year, this is the game where emotions run high and teams play as if there’s more on the line than just wins and losses.
There are more memories than miles between these two teams. It’s a quick ride over the marsh and a simple four miles between the schools. The intangibles that can not be measured however, are the passion and the intensity that goes into a Triton - Newburyport week.
This is the game, second to Thanksgiving in terms of emotion and attendance. We’ve seen fans rush the field, huge crowds and car horns escorting teams back home from road wins.
Classic battles between the Triton squads of Coach Corcoran and Coach Gaudiano’s Clippers often held league implications throughout the 80’s and 90’s.
Triton names through the ages, from Foley and Corkum, to Bazirgan, Volpone, the Verrier brothers and Emerzian can all bear witness to the passion and the intensity of a Newburyport game under the Friday night lights or on the frozen tundra of a windy October Saturday morning.
Likewise, since the creation of the Cape Ann League in 74’; Clippers such as the Twombleys, Gannon, Bashaws, Ladds, Sullivans, Clancy and Guthro are only a few of the notable names from the hundreds who have felt the glory of victory and the agony of defeat in this rivalry game.
While some sport rivalries seem to come and go depending on records, personnel and time, the battle for superiority and competition between these local schools has endured for over 40 seasons. It’s an exciting rivalry that some would love to see as a season opener or a homecoming game. To others, however, it is still that classic border battle game that pitted one brother against the other in the 1970’s and a tradition that continues to grow.
Epilogue:
A trophy was established for this rivalry game. The top being a old bronze football and the base having a front plaque which reads “The Border Battle Game”Awarded annually to the winner of the Newburyport - Triton football game. On one side of the trophy, an etching of a Viking Ship matted in blue and on the other, a Clipper Ship matted in Crimson. The winner would display, with their side facing out, in a trophy case until the next year, where the trophy would be displayed and again up for grabs and bragging rights for that year.
*In years past we have had situations that caused the two teams to meet on more than one occasion in a season due to the new playoff format. If this were to occur, the initial meeting would determine the trophy until the following season.
Battle of the border
Triton, Newburyport set for trophy clash
By Connor Whooley Sports Editor
Newburyport Daily News. Friday October 6, 2017
Triton, Newburyport set for trophy clash
By Connor Whooley Sports Editor
Newburyport Daily News. Friday October 6, 2017
Newburyport QB Owen Bradbury
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Triton QB Tommy Lapham
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Newburyport and Triton high schools sit only seven miles apart, separated by a stretch of Route 1, High Street and Elm Street.They were once one, united as the Clippers before a 1971 split pitted friends and family against each other.
And in those seven miles and 46 years, there’s been absolutely no love lost between the two schools or their football teams.
To celebrate and further deepen that rivalry, the Clippers and Vikings announced the introduction of a trophy to the much-anticipated yearly clash between the neighbors.
The “Border Battle” as it’s called, will begin Friday night when the Vikings host the Clippers at 7 p.m. on the turf out by the marsh that separates the teams.
But both head coaches, the Clippers’ Ben Smolski and the Vikings’ Pat Sheehan, will tell you they don’t need a trophy to get their guys going on game night, though it would certainly help.
“No matter what, Triton’s a different week,” said Smolski, who grew up in Newburyport and experienced the rivalry firsthand.
“... Triton has morphed into Thanksgiving in the middle of the year. The kids don’t like each other and the rivalry is something that we all respect.”
For Sheehan, who played in Lynnfield, the Clippers were everyone’s rival, that is until he got to Triton.
“When I came here, I can remember the first year, how it starts on Friday night after your last game before Newburyport and everyone starts getting geared up for Port week,” said the Vikes coach. “...You don’t really have to say much in the locker room to get kids fired up for the game. I’ve got seniors talking at the end of practice that this is their last Newburyport game.”
The concept came about when Smolski got the proposal from an alumni and with longtime assistant John Webber, they went to Sheehan to pitch the idea.
From there, a game that had a Thanksgiving feel early in the season received a name and bragging rights in the form of a trophy.
The award has a simple inscription explaining that the football-shaped trophy is given to the winner of each year’s contest between the two teams. On the sides are a crimson-matted Clipper ship and a blue-matted Viking ship.
The award only counts for regular season games and will stay with that year’s winner should the two teams meet again in the playoffs. It currently resides in the Newburyport locker room and as of Thursday, Smolski had already turned it into a motivational tool, leaving the Viking side facing out to signify a rough day of practice.
“The significance of the trophy is there’s a tangible item that the kids will get to see and walk by every day in the trophy case with either the crimson and the Clipper ship facing out or blue and the Viking ship facing out,” Sheehan said.
But as for the game itself, neither team will have the trophy on its mind when they take the field Friday.
The Vikings (1-3) come in after a tough loss to North Reading last week and the Clippers (1-2) are off a bye week after a big loss to Masconomet.
For the home team, part of the week’s focus has been on physicality, which is something Sheehan said he needs to see more of from his players.
But the coach said he can’t run Oklahoma drills all day, it’s something he can’t force.
“You can see it on film who the aggressor is and they know that’s what it’s going to take and we’ll see very early tomorrow night if we’re ready to play a football game,” he said.
For the Clippers, it’s about execution.
“They’re always trying to improve their technique but it’s just that mental aspect,” Smolski said. “Not going offside, knowing what they’re doing on every play. Given those two weeks, we’ve got to get a lot of repetitions, too, to kind of drive home what their assignment is.”
The Vikes come in with a hot offense led by quarterback Tommy Lapham, who can make plays in both the passing and ground games along with running back Christian O’Brien, a former Clipper who now wears the blue-and-white.
Sheehan said he wants to see more from the offensive line to get the ground game going instead of relying on the big-play capabilities of his team.
But the bulk of his team’s improvement needs to come on defense. The team will face a Clipper offense that has only manufactured one touchdown but is “one block” away in Smolski’s words.
Clipper seniors Owen Bradbury and Myles Maloof will try to get their guys moving against a defensive unit that needs to tackle better, Sheehan said.
" ...Whether it’s offense for one team or defense for another, neither squad will be lacking one thing: emotion!"
Sheehan said he won’t have to say much to his guys before the game, Smolski will say even less.
His message was simple, though its weight has spurred the Border Battle.
“It’s Triton week,” he said.
And in those seven miles and 46 years, there’s been absolutely no love lost between the two schools or their football teams.
To celebrate and further deepen that rivalry, the Clippers and Vikings announced the introduction of a trophy to the much-anticipated yearly clash between the neighbors.
The “Border Battle” as it’s called, will begin Friday night when the Vikings host the Clippers at 7 p.m. on the turf out by the marsh that separates the teams.
But both head coaches, the Clippers’ Ben Smolski and the Vikings’ Pat Sheehan, will tell you they don’t need a trophy to get their guys going on game night, though it would certainly help.
“No matter what, Triton’s a different week,” said Smolski, who grew up in Newburyport and experienced the rivalry firsthand.
“... Triton has morphed into Thanksgiving in the middle of the year. The kids don’t like each other and the rivalry is something that we all respect.”
For Sheehan, who played in Lynnfield, the Clippers were everyone’s rival, that is until he got to Triton.
“When I came here, I can remember the first year, how it starts on Friday night after your last game before Newburyport and everyone starts getting geared up for Port week,” said the Vikes coach. “...You don’t really have to say much in the locker room to get kids fired up for the game. I’ve got seniors talking at the end of practice that this is their last Newburyport game.”
The concept came about when Smolski got the proposal from an alumni and with longtime assistant John Webber, they went to Sheehan to pitch the idea.
From there, a game that had a Thanksgiving feel early in the season received a name and bragging rights in the form of a trophy.
The award has a simple inscription explaining that the football-shaped trophy is given to the winner of each year’s contest between the two teams. On the sides are a crimson-matted Clipper ship and a blue-matted Viking ship.
The award only counts for regular season games and will stay with that year’s winner should the two teams meet again in the playoffs. It currently resides in the Newburyport locker room and as of Thursday, Smolski had already turned it into a motivational tool, leaving the Viking side facing out to signify a rough day of practice.
“The significance of the trophy is there’s a tangible item that the kids will get to see and walk by every day in the trophy case with either the crimson and the Clipper ship facing out or blue and the Viking ship facing out,” Sheehan said.
But as for the game itself, neither team will have the trophy on its mind when they take the field Friday.
The Vikings (1-3) come in after a tough loss to North Reading last week and the Clippers (1-2) are off a bye week after a big loss to Masconomet.
For the home team, part of the week’s focus has been on physicality, which is something Sheehan said he needs to see more of from his players.
But the coach said he can’t run Oklahoma drills all day, it’s something he can’t force.
“You can see it on film who the aggressor is and they know that’s what it’s going to take and we’ll see very early tomorrow night if we’re ready to play a football game,” he said.
For the Clippers, it’s about execution.
“They’re always trying to improve their technique but it’s just that mental aspect,” Smolski said. “Not going offside, knowing what they’re doing on every play. Given those two weeks, we’ve got to get a lot of repetitions, too, to kind of drive home what their assignment is.”
The Vikes come in with a hot offense led by quarterback Tommy Lapham, who can make plays in both the passing and ground games along with running back Christian O’Brien, a former Clipper who now wears the blue-and-white.
Sheehan said he wants to see more from the offensive line to get the ground game going instead of relying on the big-play capabilities of his team.
But the bulk of his team’s improvement needs to come on defense. The team will face a Clipper offense that has only manufactured one touchdown but is “one block” away in Smolski’s words.
Clipper seniors Owen Bradbury and Myles Maloof will try to get their guys moving against a defensive unit that needs to tackle better, Sheehan said.
" ...Whether it’s offense for one team or defense for another, neither squad will be lacking one thing: emotion!"
Sheehan said he won’t have to say much to his guys before the game, Smolski will say even less.
His message was simple, though its weight has spurred the Border Battle.
“It’s Triton week,” he said.
The Newburyport Clippers vs The Triton Vikings
For the Border Battle Trophy : Presented by the Newburyport Gridiron Club
For the Border Battle Trophy : Presented by the Newburyport Gridiron Club
1973 N: 34 - T: 0 (the first in the CAL)
1974 N: 46 - T: 0
1975 N: 41 - T: 6
1976 N: 42 - T: 7
1977 N: 7 - T: 6
1978 T: 19 - N: 8
1979 N: 34 - T: 0
1980 N: 28 - T: 12
1981: T: 7 - N: 6
1982 T: 22 - N: 0
1983 T: 23 - N: 7
1984 T: 33 - N: 6
1985 T: 21 - N: 20
1986 T: 12 - N: 0
1987 N: 6 - T: 0
1988 T: 12 - N: 0
1989 N: 7 - T: 0
1990 T: 28 - N: 13
1991 N: 14 - T: 13
1992 T: 19 - N: 0
1993 N: 19 - T: 16 (OT)
1994 N: 26 - T: 14
1995 N: 3 - T: 0
1996 T: 14 - N: 7
1997 N: 27 - T: 0
1998 N: 27 - T: 6
1999 N: 14 - T: 0
2000 T: 40 - N: 14
2001 T: 21 - N:7
2002
2003
2004 T: 21 - N: 7
2005 T: 35 - N: 27
2006 T: 7 - N: 0
2007 N: 26 - T: 0
2008 T: 6 - N: 0
2009 T: 14 - N: 7
2010 N: 15 - T: 13
2011 N: 27 - T: 6
2012 N: 35 - T: 15
2013 N: 19 - T: 13 (Played again in playoff consolation round N: 13 - T: 0 )
2014 T: 33 - N: 15
2015 T: 30 - N: 20
2016 T: 34 - N: 21
2017 N: 19 - T: 13 (First presentation of the Border Battle Trophy)
2018 N: 15 - T: 14
2019 N: 38 - T: 14
2020 N: 28 - T: 14
2021 N: 19 - T:14
2022 T: 22 - N: 14
2023: N: 42 - T: 0
1974 N: 46 - T: 0
1975 N: 41 - T: 6
1976 N: 42 - T: 7
1977 N: 7 - T: 6
1978 T: 19 - N: 8
1979 N: 34 - T: 0
1980 N: 28 - T: 12
1981: T: 7 - N: 6
1982 T: 22 - N: 0
1983 T: 23 - N: 7
1984 T: 33 - N: 6
1985 T: 21 - N: 20
1986 T: 12 - N: 0
1987 N: 6 - T: 0
1988 T: 12 - N: 0
1989 N: 7 - T: 0
1990 T: 28 - N: 13
1991 N: 14 - T: 13
1992 T: 19 - N: 0
1993 N: 19 - T: 16 (OT)
1994 N: 26 - T: 14
1995 N: 3 - T: 0
1996 T: 14 - N: 7
1997 N: 27 - T: 0
1998 N: 27 - T: 6
1999 N: 14 - T: 0
2000 T: 40 - N: 14
2001 T: 21 - N:7
2002
2003
2004 T: 21 - N: 7
2005 T: 35 - N: 27
2006 T: 7 - N: 0
2007 N: 26 - T: 0
2008 T: 6 - N: 0
2009 T: 14 - N: 7
2010 N: 15 - T: 13
2011 N: 27 - T: 6
2012 N: 35 - T: 15
2013 N: 19 - T: 13 (Played again in playoff consolation round N: 13 - T: 0 )
2014 T: 33 - N: 15
2015 T: 30 - N: 20
2016 T: 34 - N: 21
2017 N: 19 - T: 13 (First presentation of the Border Battle Trophy)
2018 N: 15 - T: 14
2019 N: 38 - T: 14
2020 N: 28 - T: 14
2021 N: 19 - T:14
2022 T: 22 - N: 14
2023: N: 42 - T: 0