It has been known for some time that Galena and East Dubuque have been in a heated rivalry. The two schools share some similarities in that they share the same colors of blue and white and have close numbers when it comes to enrollment, but these just lead to each of the schools wanting to prove who is the better blue.
This competition was be shown on Wednesday, January 29. Once again, the Galena Pirates faced off against the East Dubuque Warriors in a rivalry game. East Dubuque was the conference leader, with a record of 5-0 and an overall record of 15-7. The Pirates were a few ranks behind in the conference, with a record of 3-2 and an overall record of 13-9.
This record doesn’t mean anything to the players or coaches of either team. Coach Matt Weinen said, “To me, the Galena-East Dubuque rivalry is similar to the Duke-North Carolina basketball rivalry. It doesn’t matter the sport: Football, basketball, or baseball the both of us battled for the conference every year it seemed like. It is a great rivalry for the schools, the communities, and the kids. You always want to beat your rivals and by beating them it usually means a chance to win the conference championship. To me, no game is bigger than the one right in front of you, but for some reason, this game means more to everyone!”
Player Myles Schumacher adds, “These past few years have been a little rough for they’ve got the better of us more than we would’ve liked but I’m confident in our team and I know we have what it takes to win.” They will play East Dubuque twice this year, once on January 29 and again on February 20.
After the game, the East Dubuque Warriors came out on top with a victory of 35-31. It was a great defensive battle. The Pirates led in three of the four quarters but eventually ran out of steam in the fourth. Galena‘s leading scorer was Mason Smith ‘26, having 9 points of his own. East Dubuque had four individual players having 6 points each. The game was a must for both teams, but unfortunately, the East Dubuque Warriors will stay at the head of the conference.
