A lot of things have changed in high school football since the first meeting between Ryan and Waurika 100 years ago.
The two schools are set to meet tonight for the 62nd time since that first meeting in 1919.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Bob Givens Sports Complex in Ryan and a large crowd is expected.
Waurika has had an impressive season so far as the Eagles have carved out a 5-1 record that includes a forfeit from Temple.
Ryan has struggled through the first half of the season, but has managed to put together a 3-3 record that also includes a forfeit from Temple.
The Eagles are coming off a big 62-34 win over Wilson to open district play last Friday night, while Ryan suffered a 58-8 setback to Empire in its district opener last Friday night.
Waurika has dominated this rivalry through the years as the Eagles hold a 41-17-3 record in meetings against the Cowboys.
Ryan won the first of two meetings in 1919, 23-0, before Waurika came back to edge the Cowboys in the second meeting, 29-27.
It was the first year the two schools competed in football on the high school level and oddly enough the two teams did not meet again until 1927 when Ryan scored a 37-0 victory over the Eagles.
It is not known why the two schools, located only 10 miles apart, did not play between 1920 and 1926.
Changes in the sport have certainly occurred since those initial meetings 100 years ago.
One big change was the introduction of the T-formation with a quarterback under center. While the two schools employ a shotgun formation most of the time today, it was unheard of for the quarterback to be under the center to take the snap.
Conversion tries after touchdowns in those early days with worth only one point no matter if the try was kicked or it was a run or pass.
Equipment has greatly improved especially with the protection for the head. In the game 100 years ago the helmets were leather and were without any kind of facemask.
Today helmets have been upgraded to hopefully prevent concussions and have plenty of padding and a face mask.
High school football today features bigger and faster athletes, while the players 100 years ago were mostly tall and lanky.
But one thing has not changed through the 100 years of football – Ryan and Waurika love to beat each other.
And while the wins have been few and far between for the Cowboys overall, Waurika holds only a 4-3 advantage in meetings since Waurika dropped to eight-man football a few years ago.
The series took a long break between 1978 and 2011 with only two meetings during those years as a rare two-game series was played with Ryan competing in eight-man football and Waurika still playing 11-man football.
The Eagles won 14 of the final 15 meetings between the two schools when the Cowboys still played 11-man football. The only win during that time came in 1974 with the Cowboys scoring a 28-0 victory over the Eagles.
In last year’s contest, Waurika totally dominated the game taking advantage of six Ryan turnovers to earn a 58-0 victory over the Cowboys in a game that ended at halftime.
The Eagles will come into the game as a heavy favorite as the Cowboys are scrambling to find the right combinations to help develop an effective offense.
But, as with most meetings between the two schools over the past 100 years, it should be a hard-fought contest and one fans should not miss.
Here’s a look at the results of the long-running series:
1919: Ryan 23, Waurika 0
1919: Waurika 29, Ryan 27
1927: Ryan 37, Waurika 0
1928: Waurika 14, Ryan 6
1929: Ryan 20, Waurika 0
1930: Waurika 27, Ryan 0
1931: Waurika 7, Ryan 0
1932: Waurika 7, Ryan 0
1933: Waurika 13, Ryan 0
1934: Waurika 18, Ryan 0
1935: Waurika 32, Ryan 20
1936: Waurika 14, Ryan 0
1937: Ryan 6, Waurika 6
1938: Waurika 12, Ryan 6
1939: Waurika 27, Ryan 0
1940: Waurika 6, Ryan 0
1941: Ryan 19, Waurika 0
1942: Ryan 0, Waurika 0
1943: Ryan 0, Waurika 0
1944: Waurika 38, Ryan 7
1945: Ryan 13, Waurika 0
1945: Waurika 19, Ryan 6
1946: Ryan 15, Waurika 14
1947: Waurika 14, Ryan 6
1948: Waurika 38, Ryan 13
1949: Waurika 32, Ryan 0
1950: Waurika 60, Ryan 0
1953: Waurika 41, Ryan 14
1954: Waurika 7, Ryan 6
1955: Ryan 19, Waurika 12
1956: Ryan 19, Waurika 6
1957: Ryan 33, Waurika 12
1958: Ryan 18, Waurika 14
1959: Waurika 20, Ryan 0
1960: Waurika 12, Ryan 8
1961: Ryan 8, Waurika 6
1962: Ryan 33, Waurika 18
1963: Waurika 40, Ryan 8
1964: Waurika 58, Ryan 6
1965: Waurika 2, Ryan 0 (forfeit)
1966: Waurika 35, Ryan 14
1967: Waurika 46, Ryan 0
1968: Waurika 22, Ryan 6
1969: Waurika 38, Ryan 0
1970: Waurika 34, Ryan 8
1971: Waurika 64, Ryan 0
1972: Waurika 50, Ryan 0
1973: Waurika 28, Ryan 6
1974: Ryan 28, Waurika 0
1975: Waurika 13, Ryan 8
1976: Waurika 21, Ryan 0
1977: Waurika 33, Ryan 0
1990: Ryan 27, Waurika 6
1991: Waurika 27, Ryan 20
2012: Ryan 36, Waurika 16
2013: Ryan 44, Waurika 26
2014: Waurika 29, Ryan 24
2015: Waurika 34, Ryan 22
2016: Waurika 46, Ryan 0
2017: Ryan 44, Waurika 36 (2OT)
2018: Waurika 58, Ryan 0
