Chester Ray Stadium, Brookfield, Missouri

Nell White sits on the wooden bleachers at Chester Ray Stadium in the middle of the Brookfield faithful. Kickoff for the annual Bell Game rivalry between Brookfield High School and Marceline High School is still two hours away, but White is anxious. 

“I am sick to my stomach,” she said. “The Bell means a whole lot.”

She wears a blue T-shirt with “Brookfield High School” written in white letters. White also has two photo buttons pinned to her shirt. One is a picture of her daughter, Bulldogs cheerleader Tiffany White, and the other photo is of her son, Brookfield running back Dustin White.  

Dustin, a key contributor for the Bulldogs in their 14-13 Bell Game win in 2005, has looked forward to the contest since football camp started in the summer. 
Throughout the entire week, the White household has been preparing for the Bell Game – an annual maelstrom of football and tradition that feels like Homecoming and a state championship game all rolled into one.

To the White family, and nearly all of Brookfield (population: 4,679) and Marceline (2,235), the competition is one of the biggest events of the year. 

“This game is our life,” Nell said. “It’s all about the Bell.” 

The gold bell, donated by the Brookfield Fire Department in 1937, marks a tradition and rivalry that is as strong today as it was in the 1920s.
The street to Brookfield High’s parking lot is named Bell Game Way, and a ceremonial bell – not the bell – welcomes fans from a blue pedestal at the entrance.

     
Generations of families have seen their mothers, fathers, siblings and relatives play or watch the Bell Game. Shane Cavanah’s mother, Dorsey Ann Cavanah, graduated from Marceline High in the 1930s.  Shane played in his first Bell Game 22 years later. Now a Marceline resident, he as coached both sides and is the current Brookfield helmsman.

“If you find someone who played high school football 25 years ago, the Bell Game is all they would talk about,” he said in 2005. “I played in my first Bell Game in 1959 and I’m still talking about it. It’s a rallying point for the towns. It’s a positive morale boost for the community.”

The rivalry lives on in the 21st century. For many years, the two towns didn’t like each other, forcing police involvement at some of the contests.  The intensity even affected the students’ private lives.

Brookfield, nudged by industry, is growing in size, and the two towns have become friendly. However, Bell Game Week is when the rivalry resumes – with bragging rights decided Friday night. 

Throughout the week, the towns decorate shops, schools and cars with signs and slogans. At Brookfield signs read “Keep Our Bell” and “Home of the Bell” in blue paint. The words “Blue Pride” are everywhere.
Players’ lockers are adorned with sayings reading, “Football is an incredible game. Sometimes it is so incredible it’s unbelievable. Sometimes it is so unbelievable that they call it the Bell Game,” “You have to play the Bell Game like someone just hit your mother with a 2-by-4” and “A tie during a football game is like kissing your sister. A tie during the Bell Game is like kissing your brother.”

Brookfield also enjoys a pep rally Friday afternoon that provides plenty of hype for the night’s contest. The students, including those in elementary school, wear Bulldog gear and paint the Bulldogs’ numbers on their cheeks.

The kids admire the players. Nine-year-old Natalie Hedrick proudly displayed No. 33 on her cheeks – the number of Brookfield’s star player, Luke Lambert.

“He is nice, tall and a really good football player,” she said. “He is really popular.”

Brookfield cheerleaders help decorate the nine-mile stretch between the two towns. In 2006, each of the players, coaches and team managers had their numbers or names written in blue ink on miniature bells, which were stuck in the ground next to Interstate Highway 36. 

Marceline showcases a similar scene. Along Main Street, owners paint their front windows with signs reading, “Go Tigers, Cash In a Victory,” and “Bring It Home.”

The Bell Game is constantly on the mind of Carrie Lake, the mother of Marceline’s star player, Kaleb Lake. Her son is a good friend of Lambert, but he still would love to win the bell. The night before the Bell Game, Kaleb couldn’t sleep. When he last looked at the clock, the time was past 1 a.m.

“This game means so much to Kaleb,” Carrie said. “He has been thinking about the game for a few days.”

A few hours later, Carrie and the two teams’ supporters file into Chester Ray Stadium. The historic field was painted by nearly 100 volunteer citizens. Tonight, more than 3,000 fans will crowd the wooden bleachers which usually seat 800, and sit along the track that surrounds the field.

The stadium will collect about $10,000 for a Bell Game, about four times as much as a normal Friday night. 

“It’s probably going to be the biggest gate in the state of Missouri tonight,” said Marceline principal Gabe Edgar about two hours before kickoff. “It’s turned into a great football game.”

Mark Robinson, clad in Marceline attire, echoes similar sentiments. He sits with the Tigers section, preparing himself for three hours of Bell Game football. 

“The Bell Game is what makes these two [towns] different,” he said. “The whole concept is important. Winning this game is just as important as winning a state championship.”

On this particular evening, Brookfield crushes Marceline 28-0. The Tigers don’t gain a first down the entire night. However, the crowd and teams remained focused for the full 60 minutes on the scoreboard clock.

Late in the second half, Marceline equipment manager Davey Darr is on the sidelines, throwing his hands in the air, yelling, and imploring the crowd to cheer the Tigers.

Afterward, many of the Marceline players are in tears. Kaleb gathers his team for the customary postgame drill.

“Let’s do this quickly,” he said. “I want to get out of here.”

Many of the players can’t hold back their emotions.

On the other side, Brookfield players ring the bell over and over, celebrating a win that brings bragging rights and pride for a full year. Senior lineman Brad Gardner wears a huge smile and expresses his excitement as he walks off the field.

“It just means so much,” he said. “It means more than anything.”

Photos by Chris Tharp