MICDS and Burroughs to Battle All Day Long

Everyone who follows sports has a favorite annual event. For some, it's the Super Bowl. For others, it’s the NCAA basketball Final Four.

Local sports fans love the World Series, especially when the Cardinals are playing.

But bar none, my all-time favorite event is anytime MICDS plays John Burroughs in any sporting event. Well, everything is on the proverbial table this weekend as the Rams invade the Bombers’ campus. It will be a day-long run of sports events on Saturday.

At 11:30 a.m., the two teams tangle indoors in volleyball. At 1:30 p.m., the field hockey teams collide in a rematch of the Midwest championship from last November. At 2:30 p.m. on Leland Field, it will be the battle of area titans as the two unbeaten football teams clash. Then at 4:30 p.m., the boys soccer teams will duke it out.

The game will be broadcast live on the Prep Broadcasting Network as the Patch "Game of the Week." www.prepcasts.com.

This is for bragging rights and much more. Spirit will be at a fever pitch all week at both schools. This is one of the longest running rivalries in St. Louis, second only to Webster Groves and Kirkwood in football.

Probably the busiest people in town will be the Ladue Police. They will have to guide traffic in and around Burroughs and clear portions of Ladue and Price roads for the early morning 2.5-mile family run (walk) from Olson Hall at MICDS to the Bombers’ campus at 8:30 a.m.

I’ve had the privilege of taking in many of these games ever since I was a little kid as a sideline observer, then later as a sportswriter and editor for the Suburban Journals and prep reporter for KMOX Radio.

In the good old days, the football clash signaled the end of the season, and almost always the rights to the ABC League title. That was before the state football playoffs began in the 1970s. Now, the game falls very early in the season.

For years, the battle used to be between two famous coaches, Pop Hughes of Country Day and Tom McConnell at Burroughs. Eventually, the reins were handed off to Jim Lemen at Burroughs and Ron Holtman at Codasco-MICDS. Marv Levy, the retired Buffalo Bills coach, once had the duties at Country Day School.

The entire day is quite festive. There will be all kinds of alumni receptions and tailgating from early in the morning right up until kickoff of the football game.

There are many greats who once stepped on the field for these clashes.

MICDS has featured brilliant receiver Mark Militello (Duke University), All-American running back Mike Mayweather (West Point) and Stanford tight end Turner Baur. Burroughs has countered with Jon Mars (University of Colorado), Greg Smith (University of Missouri and Dartmouth College), the Van Slyke brothers and last year’s star quarterbacks Sam Van Doren (Trinity College, University of Connecticut) and running back Grant Wallace (Yale University).

In some years, the records have been uneven coming into the game. This year, both squads are off to 2-0 starts. The Rams' games against Maplewood-Richmond Heights and Lutheran South, and Burroughs' games against Pembroke Hill and Principia, were just warm-up acts.

At 2:30 p.m. Saturday, this matchup will be the real deal. And, there will be another Militello calling signals for the Rams. That’s senior Thomas, eldest son of Mark Militello. He is already drawing a crowd of recruiters, including those from Duke, Boston College, University of Illinois and Vanderbilt University.

Guys, adjust those chin straps tightly. There will be some real hitting going on, and by 5 p.m. or so, we’ll know which of the two teams will still be in the running for a potentially undefeated season.

Bring it on.