By Aaron Ursin ‘20
The Holy Cross and Chalmette football teams have engaged in 50 battles dating back to the late 1960’s. The game always attracts attention from alumni who participated in the match-up of the old campus days on Dauphine St. The schools were much closer in distance when the games were held in The Parish. Although the rivalry still holds meaning, the significance of it diminished somewhat when Holy Cross was moved to Paris Avenue. However, the games have always been high-paced and exciting. There is just something about the Backyard Brawl that garners an extremely competitive atmosphere. Holy Cross has dominated the past 15 years of the rivalry, winning 12 out of the last 15 games, with their last loss coming in the 2017-2018 season. Although the current players were not present for the heat of the Backyard Brawl, they still are excited to carry on the school’s legacy. We had a chance to catch up with senior running back, Celven Hulbert. When asked what the Chalmette game meant to him, he said, “Ever since I have been here, the Chalmette game has always been big for the school. I’ve always felt as if I was a part of that rivalry, and we have a job to take care of business when we play them.” Clearly, the Backyard Brawl is still a highly sought after match-up. We also had a chance to catch up with Defensive Coordinator, Coach Adam Giglio who played in the rivalry back in the early 2000s. When asked what his thoughts were for the Holy Cross and Chalmette rivalry, he said, “Living in St. Bernard Parish, and having a father that graduated from Chalmette, it is extremely real, and meeting Chalmette on a Friday night at Bobby Nuss Stadium will always be special.” These two teams even met in the Superdome for the 1980 game. Holy Cross won on a late rushing touchdown by running back, Dennis Deegan. This game only fueled the rivalry between the two teams, as some would say that Holy Cross stole the monumental game from Chalmette that year. The games in those following years were epic, as multiple games were decided in the last seconds and even overtime. This year’s battle will occur on Friday, September 20th, for 7 PM at Bobby Nuss Stadium. Go Tigers!