CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – One of the area’s greatest football traditions returns Friday at 7 p.m. as Fort Campbell takes on Fort Knox in the 50th annual Army Bowl.
The 50th annual Army Bowl will pit Kentucky’s two U.S. Army post high schools, Fort Knox and Fort Campbell, against each other in a game filled with pageantry, tradition and camaraderie.
Fort Campbell has had a firm grasp on the series, leading all-time 32-17. With a win Friday night, the Falcons would secure their fifth straight victory over the Fort Knox Eagles in a game that means much more than just football.
Bigger than football, respect through shared experiences
Fort Campbell head coach Henry Mitchell said that although the two schools become rivals once they step between the lines, there is a unique level of respect because of their shared experiences.
“Both schools share the same experiences, as in families being deployed, families going on to fight wars,” Mitchell said. “The football aspect of it, we’re going to be enemies on the field, but when the game is over, we’re going to become family.”
There’s a beauty to the circumstances surrounding the Army Bowl that you just don’t see often in high school sports. Although that shared respect will certainly be on display after the game, it doesn’t take away from the intensity when the two teams take the field.
Both schools get up to play each other, creating a rivalry that Mitchell believes compares with some of the biggest games in Montgomery County. Mitchell is a former coach at Rossview and compares the Army Bowl’s pageantry and traditions to that of the Warfield Shield.
“I would say it’s on the same level as the Warfield Shield, because I coached in one of those games when I was over at Rossview,” Mitchell said. “You got all the Army branding that comes. They do flyovers, helicopters, and it’s just the atmosphere.”
Beyond the flyovers and celebration of tradition, there’s plenty to be excited about from the Fort Campbell side of things.
Fort Campbell carrying momentum into rivalry week
The Falcons enter Friday’s matchup as the favorite against an 0-2 Fort Knox squad, carrying momentum after beating Clarksville Academy 44-0 last weekend.
With Fort Campbell looking to continue its dominance in the Army Bowl, the 50th edition is bound to be a special experience. Mitchell believes that regardless of the outcome, the atmosphere will make Friday night memorable for everyone in attendance.
“I know on the other side, Fort Knox coaching staff and those kids, man, they’re coming down here to play,” Mitchell said. “We have great crowds on both sides. The atmosphere is going to be electric, man.”
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