Five-decade long rivalry pits teams head to head Friday night

53 years may have passed, but the rivalry between Idaho Falls High School and Skyline High School is still as strong as ever. It’s the game that gets students, teachers and community members in Idaho Falls riled up each year. It’s the Emotion Bowl.

” When it first started in (1966), and they separated Idaho Falls High School, it was an emotional deal, ” said Bob Devine, principal of Idaho Falls High School. ” They took half of the student body and put them at Skyline High School – that’s why they call it the Emotion Bowl. Their emotions ran high because theses were friends. ”

Even though this crosstown rivalry does not still share the same background story as the teams did more than five decades ago, the football game still has the same competitiveness running between the players.

As the student body cheers each team on, the community around them is doing the same.

” If you drive on either side of town, you’ll see a lot of restaurants and businesses painted with the team of their choice, ” said Gregg Baczuk , the athletic director for Skyline High School. ” It is a great thing to unite the businesses of our community. ”