SPORTS FORUM
by Scott Schultz Buckeye Sports Reporter
Opinions expressed in "Sports Forum" are those of the writer,

and not necessarily those of the Archbold Buckeye.

It's February 1968. An old 45 record spins on a record player. A slight scratching sound of static emerges as you try to fine-tune an AM radio station.

Finally satisfied, your favorite song crackles through the speaker of the Volkswagen Beetle.

You head out on Co. Rd. D, heading east or west depending on whether Archbold or Pettisville has home-court advantage. Anticipating the matchup, the basketball teams are already in their locker rooms and game preparations are being discussed.

It's December 2007. A gigabyte of music fits in the palm of your hand; there is no static, and you may not even realize that AM radio exists anymore.

Cruising east or west down Co. Rd. D is replaced by hanging out. It's a time when you may have to ask your parents, "What's a 45? What's a Beetle?"

A parent may ask, "What's a gigabyte?"

In 1968, Archbold and Pettisville played their last regularseason boys basketball contest. The rivalry had apparently become too aggressive for the times; not because of the play on the basketball court, but the extracurricular activities that allegedly took place in the stands.

The result: school boards elected to remove the rivalry.

The two squads have since met, playing in sponsored tournaments and even in post-season action. But until Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007, the two had not met in the regular season for 39 years.

The renewed rivalry made its debut in front of a packed Archbold gymnasium with more than 1,800 fans in attendance. The Archbold student section was a whiteout. Students dressed in matching white T-shirts, and some wore white face paint.

And the student section of Pettisville? What else would they wear, but black.

Even the two cheerleading squads teamed up at halftime for a performance, one that brought thunderous applause.

What about the game of basketball? It hasn't seen all that many changes since James Naismith invented the game in 1891 and put 13 rules into place.

Well, maybe it has changed, just a little.

Uniforms have changed. Today, players' shorts are baggy; some reach nearly to the knees, or beyond. In 1968, shorts were quite a bit shorter, and one thing they were not, was baggy.

Coaches haven't changed that much. They still urge their players and express their opinions to officials.

What of the players from the 1968 AHS and PHS teams? Some were in attendance. Some were probably listening to the game on the radio and drifting back to 1968, back to a simpler time in life, recalling a jump shot or drive along the baseline.

There was no three-point line, there were no enormous gyms; but in 1968 they seemed huge as fans were packed to the rafters in small spaces.

Maybe that is when things got undesirable. Fans standing in line waiting for the game, a little 1968 trash-talking may have taken place, maybe even some friendly wagers occurred. Maybe one of the Beetles was lost in a bet.

The fans of 1968 may have gotten out of hand. Some of those fans may have been at Saturday's game or listening on the radio. Some may have been there in spirit, packing the gym to the rafters and maybe even considering a friendly wager.

Some may have even collected on a wager, just because the rivalry is back.