This is the week when memories of the Cony-Gardiner game flood conversations and newspaper stories. My most vivid recollection goes back to 1959 when I was just a young pup.

The game was held at Capital Park in front of several thousand fans. Cony won 14-13, but I had to check the score because that never stood out. It was the footrace between Cony's Larry Coughlin and Gardiner's Gary Wehrwein that remains alive in my memory. Coughlin was part of an exciting pass combination with quarterback Dick Small who passed away a couple of months ago. Small hit him in stride near midfield and Coughlin headed fo the end zone with Wehrwein in pursuit. Most fans were aware Wehrwein was the reigning 100 yard dash champ in the state and he showed why as he ran down Coughlin and tackled him inside the Gardiner 10 yard line.
I still recall Coughlin angling away from Wehrwein toward the State House that loomed over the northwest corner of the field. It was one of the most exciting plays in the history of the rivalry and stuck firmly in an 11-year-old's mind.
I miss the two venues as well. Capital Park, with the Statehouse and park in the background, was a cool place to watch football. So was Quimby Field, with the big hill at the west end. I recall the cars lined along Lincoln and Dresden avenues, many of them parked on front lawns at one of two bucks a pop.
It's nice to conjure these memories up at least once a year, and in many repects, that's what the rivalry is all about.