MAYFIELD, Ky. — Mayfield Cardinals or Graves County Eagles — two birds of prey on the turf duel for victory.
On Friday, Aug. 23, the Mayfield and Graves County high school football teams faced off in a game known annually as Battle of the Birds.
The helmets for the Mayfield and Graves County high school football teams sit next to each other.
The athletes are prohibited from executing practical jokes on the field this year. However, the coaches of both teams highlighted the game itself as a long-standing tradition that has rallied the community since the 1980s.
Alternating home fields every year, Graves County High School hosted Battle of the Birds in its Eagle Stadium for 2024.
Hours before the game commenced, Mayfield’s Cliff Dew and Graves County’s Tyler DeBernardi, both serving inaugural years as head coaches of their respective high school football teams, discussed their anticipation for an evening full of athletic spectacle and competition.
“It’s just a big cross-town rivalry. It’s two different sides of the highway” Dew said. “Most of these guys know each other, but for just one night, they get to be on opposite sides.”
Mayfield High School head football coach Cliff Dew.
Dew hesitated to describe Battle of the Birds as a “friendly rivalry” but rather deemed it as a “rivalry among friends.” DeBernardi also did not favor the term, and characterized his team and their opponents as “frenemies.”
“It’s a heated rivalry, but at the same time, there’s a lot of respect between both programs,” Debernardi said.
Graves County High School head football coach Tyler DeBernardi.
Debernardi explained that Battle of the Birds celebrates the quality of athletic programs in the area while the two football teams are pitted against each other.
At center of Battle of the Birds, Dew said the football teams are vying for “bragging rights.”
“All of us hope that each team goes 14-and-one every year and wins a state championship, but they always want to beat each other,” DeBernardi said.
Dew added that the competitive, high-stakes environment unifies the community and promotes camaraderie as both sides clamor for their teams to win.
DeBernardi said that the intricate collaboration during football games galvanizes spectators to engage with the action more than just passive viewing.
“I don't think there's another sport that requires the teamwork that football does," DeBernardi said. "When you get on that field and have two really strong teams going back and forth at each other, it just creates an exciting game and an electric atmosphere.”
Dew expects a “packed house” that will “shut down” the town as residents migrate to the stadium stands and along the fence for one eventful night.
DeBernardi estimated attendance to be between 5,000 and 6,000, but noted that it has reached between 7,000 and 8,000 in previous years.
“It’s just a great environment that the entire community comes out to support between the people of Graves County and residents of Mayfield,” DeBernardi said.
Dew said that high school football in Mayfield has been prominent for more than a century, and the cultural roots create a “rallying cry” for community members. He said the feeling was “magnified” by the December 2021 tornado, when a sense of togetherness was especially jeopardized.
The exterior of Wings Etc. in Mayfield drums up excitement for Battle of the Birds on August 23, 2024.
DeBernardi said that the live-wire immediacy of football games translate into preserved memories and feeling of personal history in the community.
“Everybody that’s played in these games can probably think back to exactly what happened, what the scores were, what the big plays were, what the changing moments were in a game,” DeBernardi said. “There’s just nothing like it for these small-town communities.”
Dew said his team’s mood is “nervous but prepared” for what is a major yearly kickoff to the football season. He said practices began for Mayfield on July 12 and have only intensified since that day for Friday night's showdown.
“If you’re not anxious and ready for this one, then you’re not playing the correct sport,” Dew said. “The day that I don’t get nervous for a ball game is the day I hang it up, but that will not be tonight, of course.”
DeBernardi said his team is confident and ready to launch the season after months of preparation, including offseason workouts in January, spring practice and summer practice that officially started on July 10.
DeBarnardi said that Battle of the Birds is a display of support for both local school systems and their student athletes, and showcases their continued commitment to excellence.
“These kids work extremely hard in the off-season and summer. They sacrifice a lot of time,” DeBernardi said. “It just shows them how much people care about what they’re doing and what these programs mean to the communities.”
Once the game starts, Dew said he and the team “block everything out” and focus on the ultimate goal to reap the rewards of their extensive labor, the team striving to perform at peak level for a game that bears a great deal of importance to the community.
“It’s just something to hang your hat on for so many years,” Dew said. “You got so many people that went to school here, and are proud of their school and where they came from.”
As a Graves County High School graduate who played on its football team, DeBernadi said he wants to exhibit the capabilities of his alma mater while honoring a cornerstone of the community.
“I think it’s the greatest team sport you can play, and the community here just really, really loves their football,” DeBernardi said. “There’s not a lot going on Friday night, but every Friday night for a few months out of the year, there’s high school football. I think traditions are what bring people together.”
Will Spencer is a reporter for the Mayfield Messenger.
