WAUKESHA, Wis. — A cross-town matchup is celebrating 50 years of rivalry. The Waukesha North and Waukesha South football teams have been facing off since 1975.
TMJ4 News heard from a self-proclaimed South superfan, Michael Dietrich, that this would be a game to see, so we decided to find out why he was so passionate about the game.
Michael is best friends with Gregg Wandsneider. The two grew up in Waukesha and agree on many things - their love of sports, their love of church - but when it comes to their high schools, that's where the friendly division begins.
"I was guided by the North Star over to the North. I'm a Northstar for life," said Wandsneider, a Waukesha North alumnus.
"Blackshirts fan since I was eight years old," said Michael, proudly representing Waukesha South.
This year marks 50 years since the Crosstown Showdown started. Michael says it began when Waukesha went from having one high school to Waukesha North and South.
Watch: 50 years of rivalry: How Waukesha North and South's football tradition brings the community together
"The rivalry was born immediately," said Michael.
"Except he went to the wrong school," Gregg added.
"You are to us what the Bears are to the Packers," Michael explained.
This friendly banter represents something much larger in Waukesha. Every year this game is a near sell out according to the school with neighbors and friends coming on to cheer on opposite teams.
"Every community needs that rivalry. That little spark to keep them together in difficult times," said Gregg.
"By its very definition, rivalries are supposed to divide, but in a community like Waukesha, it actually brings them together," said Michael.
While these best friends separate during the game to cheer from opposite sidelines, they make sure to check in with each other at halftime. And regardless of the final score, they always leave as friends.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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