In the early morning hours of Saturday, two or so masked individuals were caught on tape wreaking havoc with cans of spray paint on the 3101 N. Forrest St. campus of Valdosta High School. On exterior walls and the hoods of teachers’ cars, they wrote everything from “Don’t bother to show up” to “Lowndes 7, Valdosta 0” and other phrases — a few of which included profanity — leading some to note the start of the countdown to the 47th Annual Winnersville Classic.

Although no one knows for certain if the “attack” on Valdosta High School involved any of the Vikings, previous Winnersville Classics have been plagued by similar pre-game mischief, such as it is. Players on both teams, as well as their fans, love to hate each other.

Since their first matchup in 1968, Valdosta High School and Lowndes High School have played each other 46 times. Of those, the Wildcats have won a total of 33 games. Maybe that explains the rivalry, which appears to get a little intense each year.

Whatever the explanation, we think it’s important for everyone to note that football is a game about gaining territory and scoring points, the operative word being “game.” It’s important to note that the second those Friday night lights are turned off and the stands have been vacated, we all must go back to living and working in Winnersville.

And for quite a few of us, that includes living and working next to people “we hate” because of their high school affiliation or the color of their football jersey.

The two teams will go head to head once again at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious this time around.

We encourage players and fans from both teams to embrace the words of the popular Beach Boys song, “Rah, rah, rah, be true to your school.” But at the same time, also be true to the championship spirit of Winnersville and to your community as a whole, a community that is home to both Wildcats and Vikings.