Bluefield, WV (WOAY) – The Bluefield Beavers and the Graham G-Men will renew one of southern West Virginia’s oldest football rivalries Friday night at Mitchell Stadium, and the city of Bluefield is spending the whole week celebrating it.
The rivalry dates to 1911, when the two schools first met on the field, and has continued nearly every year since. This year marks their 100th meeting.
Rob Brown, marketing coordinator for Bluefield Parks and Recreation, sums up the week…
“How I like to describe it is two cities, one mission. We come together, we bring Bluefield, West Virginia, Bluefield, Virginia, together for one awesome week.”
The two schools sit on opposite sides of the West Virginia and Virginia state line, close enough that players and fans on both sides are often neighbors. Brown said that closeness is what shapes the rivalry.
“It’s one of those rivalries where you’ll never see it get to the point where we’re not friends afterwards. If anything, we’ll go have dinner. And I can tell you how the Beavers beat Graham, and we can laugh and joke about it and prepare for next year.”
Bluefield Parks and Recreation has scheduled events each day leading up to Friday’s game.
“Don’t just come to the game, that’s what I want to tell people watching this. Enjoy the whole week, embrace it … Immerse yourself in Bluefield. That’s what this week is all about. It’s an immersive experience.”
A full schedule is posted on playbluefieldwv.com/beavergraham. Friday’s Battle of the Bluefields kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Mitchell Stadium.
The week opens with the Little Big Game
Beaver-Graham Week begins Tuesday night at Mitchell Stadium with the Little Big Game kicking off at 5:30pm, putting youth players from both Bluefields on the field ahead of Friday’s high school matchup. Brown described what the night is about.
“We’re going to have the little men of the G side and we’re going to have the little Beavers come and they’re going to play a phenomenal game. It’s awesome because parents get to be out there supporting their kids that are younger, you know, as opposed to waiting till Friday to just support the older kids … because even though they’re little people, they have bright futures, big futures.”
Watch here!
