Answering the 'Bell': Annual Centennial vs. Central rivalry game kicks off Friday

The oldest high school football rivalry game west of the Mississippi River is back.

The annual game between Pueblo Centennial and Pueblo Central high schools is a storied tradition that began with the teams' first matchup back in 1892.

In 1950, the two teams began playing for the game's namesake railroad bell and since then, the Bell Game has become one of the biggest events in town — one that transcends generations and brings together the whole community. 

“It's an honor just to be part of the tradition of the Bell Game,” Pueblo Central head coach Kris Cotterman said. “It's fun to play in, it's exciting for the whole community, and I'm just glad I get to be a little piece of it.” 

Pueblo Central currently leads the all-time series with a 37-32-3 record, and the Wildcats will look to continue their three-game winning streak against the Bulldogs.

More on the historic Bell Game:Things to know about the storied rivalry that began in 1892

Pueblo Centennial has a new coach this year in Jeff Wilson, who has been involved in only one previous Bell Game and is amped up to take part in this one.   

“As a coach in 1988, I was an assistant coach at Central,” Wilson said. “That was the first and the last Bell Game that I've ever watched.” 

Wilson has been a part of other rivalries around Pueblo, but nothing compares to the one that exists between Central and Centennial.

Cotterman, on the other hand, has not only been coaching in the game for quite some time but had the good fortune of playing in it as well. 

“I have a lot of fond memories of playing in it and winning it, but I think the best memory I have is as a coach in our first year breaking the streak, because Centennial was on a three- or four-year win streak, so just kind of overcoming and finally winning it felt really good," Cotterman said.

With both teams coming into this one with similar records (3-2 for Central and 2-3 for Centennial) this year's game could have long-term impacts on the season. It’s the first game of league play for either team; whoever wins will start league play off on the right foot and can build momentum to help propel them through the rest of the year.

“Look at it just from the standpoint of what it means as far as this year goes and implications of this year,” Wilson said. “League plays start and I think that Central is a team that needs to be reckoned with in our league. So in that regard, it's a big game.”  

More:Review: Pueblo high school football documentary tells heartfelt story of town's big rivalries

Cotterman said with the electric environment of the game, which draws as many as 15,000 people to Dutch Clark Stadium each year, it's important for his team to "play hard and control our emotions and have fun."

“Centennial is a good football team, and it is going to take everything we have to beat them," Cotterman said. "I just look forward to the challenge on Friday."

This year, both teams have found success running the ball and have outstanding running backs to look for in this game. For Pueblo Central, Amari Brown has been dominating all year long for the Wildcats and currently has 873 yards rushing on 107 carries.  

Pueblo Centennial has been doing it with two backs, Blake Roberts and Logan Marquez. Both Roberts and Marquez have rushed the ball roughly 50 times each for a combined total of 876 yards, essentially matching Brown's output at Central.

Expect a smash-mouth matchup in the 73rd rendition of Bell Game when it kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7 at Dutch Clark.

Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or on Twitter: @chowebacca