Mooney, Ursuline mark 50 years as rivals

YOUNGSTOWN — Hallways that were once bare have since been transformed into crepe paper jungles with balloons and streamers lining the walls.

Welcome to Spirit Week.

For the past 50 years, Ursuline High School and Cardinal Mooney High School have played each other in football. The game has grown into so much of a tradition that a rivalry between the two schools has reached a boiling point.

“[The Ursuline game] is what you waited for all year because it’s such a big deal,” said Samantha Villella, director of advancement at Cardinal Mooney.

Carolyn Korenic, director of alumni and advancement at Ursuline said, “We’re big on tradition here at Wick Avenue, and we like ritual.”

To prepare for the game, students at both schools have taken the responsibility of decorating the hallways, lockers and cafeterias in their school colors to promote spirit. Ursuline has a commemorative game shirt that students are encouraged to wear, and Mooney students have assumed the motto, “end the Luck of the Irish”.

As 2008 is the Golden Anniversary of the Youngstown Parochial Classic, both schools have have invited their respective teams of 1958 to come back as guests of honor for this Friday’s game. In addition, each school will honor its former players, coaches and cheerleaders from the 1958 team by incorporating them into pep rallies Thursday.

During halftime of the game Friday, both teams will be introduced in a special ceremony at midfield, honoring the players, coaches and cheerleaders as well as the fierce — but friendly — rivalry between the two teams.

“Though the rivalry is painted as heated, it’s really about respect for the rivalry and tradition,” Korenic said.

Villella added, “to see a tradition of our school, still standing, is special. I’ll probably get goose bumps.”

Read the full story complete with a schedule of special activities this week in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com on Monday.