Cookeville and Upperman High School are two Putnam County schools separated by 10 miles, each boasting proud traditions both academically and athletically. Many students and parents from each school are neighbors, friends and family.
Thursday, August 20 at Tucker Stadium those neighbors, friends and families will be separated by a football field with many wearing red and navy blue, while many others will be clad in gold and black. The cross-county rivalry between the Cavaliers and the Bees will be the only show in town.
“I love it,” said UHS coach Adam Caine on the rivalry. “I think it’s great for the county. I love the fact that we play it at Tennessee Tech. It’s a great showcase for us. If we can somehow duplicate that thing we had last year, that was an unbelievable football game. It’s exciting, but it’s a daunting task.”
Cookeville head coach Jimmy Maynord echoed Caine.
“I think it’s great for the community,” said Maynord. “I think it’s a good, friendly rivalry. The fans enjoy it. We had a huge crowd last year, we’re going to play it at Tennessee Tech and we’re going to split the gate. With the pandemic, being able to play at Tech shouldn’t affect the crowd because we’ve got plenty of space for people to come in and spread out. I think it’s a great thing.”
Cookeville High School enrolls 2,277 students and is classified as a 6A school by the TSSAA, the largest classification for public schools. Upperman High School enrolls 720 students and is classified as a 3A school.
The two schools resumed their yearly football matchup in 2015 with a tightly fought 34-26 Cavalier win. Then on the ensuing two meetings Cookeville, which enrolls 1,557 more students than Upperman, rolled to two dominant wins by a combined score of 100-7.
Caine said the game between the Cavs and Bees was the first he watched as head coach.
“I’ll never forget the first day on the job here, that’s the first game I looked at, and I think it was 52-0 before the first half was over,” said Caine. “When they’ve got a good team, we better show up and be ready to get punched in the mouth and still get back up and compete.”
Upperman changed the tone of the rivalry in 2018 as they largely controlled the game in Baxter, earning a 23-7 win. Caine said most of the win was due to good timing.
“I walked in to a really good football team,” said Caine, “I think Jimmy (Maynord) would probably say he just graduated his best team there. I am the beneficiary of great timing here.”
Maynord said he understands the implication is the larger Cookeville is typically expected to win the matchup, but it is not always that simple.
“For us, we’re supposed to win, I guess,” said Maynord. “We’re the big school, and we obviously haven’t won the last two years. They’ve been really good. We knew they were going to be really good. Coach Caine has come in and done a great job.”
The 2019 contest was held at Tucker Stadium on the campus of Tennessee Tech University. The game was an instant-classic, with the Bees securing a 21-20 win with a defensive stop on a quarterback sneak at the goal line as time expired.
“Last year’s game was an unbelievable football game,” said Caine. “That was two county rivals laying it on the line, and it was really cool. When they had the ball close to the goal line with time running out, I was just like ‘this has been a great game’. We got fortunate. Somehow we made a play at the end.
READ: Cookeville Football Preview
With an experienced Cavs team returning in 2020, and an Upperman team replacing several key starters from 2019, Caine said his team has to be fully prepared to face a talented Cavs squad.
“I’ve got a great deal of respect for them,” said Caine. “I’ve watched them so much. They very rarely get out of place on defense, they’re huge on offense and their quarterback (Stockton Owen) is a stud. It’s a huge challenge, but what a great opportunity… It very-well could be the best team we play all year. One thing I know about Upperman kids is they like to go compete.”
The Cavs were in a rebuilding mode the previous two seasons. Now, with an experienced roster, Maynord said he hopes they can turn the tide of the rivalry.
“I know they lost a lot of kids that had a lot of playing time, as we did the two years prior,” said Maynord. “We’ve been rebuilding the past two years and now they’re kind of in that mode and we’ve got an experienced team. I hope that pays off for us, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”
READ: Upperman Football Preview
Maynord said he knows the game is important to his players, despite it being a non-region contest.
“It is a rivalry,” said Maynord. “I know that, especially your seniors, don’t want to say ‘well we lost to them’ and I’m sure (Upperman) is feeling the same way. It’s a football game, we want to try and win the football game.”
The next chapter of the rivalry will be written Thursday, August 20. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The game will be livestreamed on the Upper Cumberland Reporter’s Facebook page.