It has been six long years of waiting for fans of the Valley’s version of the “Backyard Brawl,” the internecine battle between the Ansonia Chargers and the Derby Red Raiders. This Friday night the epic contest returns.
For this reporter, it is none too soon.
I grew up on this rivalry, with my first-ever game between these two teams coming all the way back to the era of Ron “Shorty” Gardin, Freddie King and Jack Coughlin, all stars back when Ansonia was known as “The Lavender.”
The legendary Charles “Boots” Jarvis was the head coach of Ansonia at the time — and he waged some memorable battles against his neighboring rivals.
I remember being at Nolan Field as a nine year old watching Ansonia play Derby on a cool October afternoon. In those days it cost a quarter to get into the games but I used to sneak under a hole in the fence to save the money for a soda and candy.
While Ansonia dominated the series for most of the 50’s and early 60’s, it was Derby’s turn to hold sway in the 60’s and early 70’s. The Red Raiders were especially strong under the leadership of their late, great coach Lou DeFillipo, for whom the Derby football field is now named.
It seemed year after year the Red Raiders would come up with a key turnover or trick play to thwart the Ansonia hopes. One of the few wins for Ansonia in this era came when Ansonia’s current mayor, Jim DellaVolpe, was the Lavender’s quarterback in 1965.
Derby was one of the top teams throughout the state in the 1960’s, culminating in a state championship in 1969. They continued to prevail throughout the early 70’s, until the Chargers made a big breakthrough in 1976. That year, a late touchdown pass from Jeff Bruce to Gordon Hotchkiss gave Ansonia a win and started them off on an era of unprecedented success.
The two teams met for a second time that season in the first CIAC Class S championship game, held in frigid temperatures at Kennedy Stadium in Bridgeport. It was the coldest I’ve ever been at a football game.
Ansonia prevailed in an exciting game, winning 6 – 0 on a touchdown by Howie Tinney.
The two teams again met in a championship game, this time in Class S‑II in 1982, when the Chargers again came out on top, 14 – 12 at a very cold and snowy Trumbull High School football field.
The game between the two Valley powers attracted large crowds, upwards of 10,000 during this time. Articles on the series appeared in such publications as The New York Times and The Hartford Courant, as well as Sports Illustrated.
It has taken on the tones of a civil war at times, with brother matching up against brother and families taking sides and having strong feelings of “hatred,” at least for one day. Co-workers at such local employers as the Farrell Corporation or Sikorsky Aircraft placed friendly bets, with the winner having bragging rights for the next year.
But as time went by, the series began to lose some of its luster.
The Derby football program fell on hard times and one-sided wins by the Chargers became the norm rather than the exception.
Crowds started to dwindle to the point where, in their last meeting in 2003, barely 500 hardy souls showed up for the game, which Ansonia won 48 – 0.
Then scheduling conflicts finally caused the series to come to an abrupt end. Ansonia was locked into an NVL schedule which precluded them from playing “outside” opponents. Few mourned the demise of the game which had fallen from the prominence it once held.
But as years went by, events intervened which saw the game come back into being. Derby was admitted as a member of the Naugatuck Valley League and once again the “Backyard Brawl” became a reality.
Derby has seen a revival of spirit and increase in the numbers of participants in their football program with the addition of players from Emmett O’Brien Regional Vocational Technical School, which joined the Red Raiders to form a “co-op” team.
Ironically, the school is located in Ansonia, enhancing the aspect of sibling rivalry always inherent in the game.
While recent losses by both the Chargers and Red Raiders have taken some shine off the contest, interest in and excitement about the game has been building since the preseason. Ansonia cheerleaders have been selling “Beat Derby” tee shirts and pep rallies have been scheduled for both schools in anticipation of Friday night football under the lights.
It should be a fun and exciting night.
While there may not be 10,000 fans on hand, a big crowd is expected, so come out early to get a parking spot and a good seat in Derby’s stadium.
