Battle of Culpeper begins

Staff Reports
Published: August 21, 2008

When Virginia meets Virginia Tech in football, they battle for the Commonwealth Cup.

In the upper Midwest, Wisconsin and Minnesota play for Paul Bunyan’s Ax. The Old Oaken Bucket goes to the winner of each year’s Indiana-Purdue game.

Special rivalries with special trophies.

Now that Culpeper County High School has a cross-town rival in Eastern View, something special is at stake here too. When the football teams meet tonight at EVHS for the inaugural “Battle of Culpeper,” they’ll be playing for the “Cannonball.”

The winner of tonight’s game will be presented with the Star-Exponent’s Cannonball Classic trophy, theirs to keep for a full year to showcase hard-earned bragging rights.
Like hockey’s Stanley Cup, we’ll engrave the score on a metal plate each year.

Yeah, we know tonight’s game is technically a scrimmage, but it’s the beginning of a new tradition — and it deserves a bit of prestige, even if it doesn’t officially count in the record books.

The trophy, crafted from 12 pounds of iron and lead, is mounted on a specially designed base. With the area’s Civil War history, we thought it was a perfect way to symbolize the modern day “Battle of Culpeper” theme.

The trophy will be available for viewing at Cyclone Stadium, where 5,000 people are expected to attended tonight’s historic game.

“We are excited about this new era beginning in Culpeper,” Star-Exponent Publisher Mitch Sneed said. “We hope to add something special to this new rivalry with the Cannonball Classic trophy.”

Who:
EVHS vs. CCHS
What:
Football
scrimmage
When:
Tonight, 7:30 p.m.
Where:
Cyclone Stadium