Rivalry week about more than football
COSHOCTON – The final game of the regular high school football season for local teams is about more than beating crosstown rivals.
Football players, cheerleaders and band members at the Coshocton vs River View and Ridgewood vs Newcomerstown games will sport purple in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness and Bullying Prevention month. Both games start at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, and the CHS vs RVHS game will be at Coshocton and the RHS vs NHS game will be at Ridgewood.
First Step Family Violence Intervention Service, Inc. will provide the football players will purple athletic tape, the cheerleaders with purple hair ribbons and also are planning on getting purple ribbons for the marching band members.
“All four schools agreed to do this and the coaches and advisors were in total support,” said Robin Snider, prevention educator with First Step. “We want to make the kids more aware of these problems and provide parents with education. Everyone wears pink in October for breast cancer awareness, but we also need to get people more aware of problems with domestic violence and bullying. Domestic violence is probably the number one crime in our community.”
She noted that one out of four women report being a victim of domestic violence.
“Bullying is a direct effect of domestic violence, whereas, nationally, 2.2 million children report being bullied, either through physical, emotional, mental, or cyber bullying,” Snider said.
Fans at the games also are encouraged to wear purple.
“We need to come together as a community and get this problem solved,” Snider said.
There also will be a canned food drive at the Coshocton vs River View game. Last year items donated by Coshocton students and fans were given to The Salvation Army and River View’s were given to the food pantry in Nellie.
Category: People & Places
