‘That’s what high school football is about’: The Battle of Chester celebrates its 55th installment
As a two-year starter for L.C. Bird’s football team, Yahkee Johnson was a nightmare for defenses across the Central Region. Many defensive coordinators likely lost sleep trying to figure out how to slow the Skyhawks’ fast and shifty running back down.
But, when looking back at his own career, there was only one game that kept Johnson up at night.
“I remember going into my 11th grade year, watching old footage of (Thomas) Dale and (L.C.) Bird on YouTube and saying to myself, ‘Wow, this is bigger than a game. This is bragging rights,’” Johnson said. “I couldn’t wait to be a part of the history. I couldn’t sleep some nights. I would picture myself playing in the rivalry while watching the highlights.”
Johnson rushed for nearly 5,000 yards and scored 70 touchdowns, starting in 2012 and 2013 and earning a nod as All-Metro Player of the Year as he helped lead his team to a state championship.
However, the memories of playing in the Battle of Chester – the not exactly nice, but not exactly nasty – football rivalry between L.C. Bird and Thomas Dale, remain in the forefront of his mind. It’s a common story for former players and residents along Route 10 who have been witnesses to the game’s evolution since the series began in 1980, shortly after L.C. Bird opened to help alleviate the overflowing student population at Thomas Dale.
“You had cousins, relatives, best friends who were all growing up and going to the same rec league space and then they split and had two different groups. It was just like a backyard football game, but with pads on,” said Ken Oxendine, a 1994 Thomas Dale graduate who went on to play running back at Virginia Tech and in the NFL. “How the divide of Thomas Dale and Bird is, it’s sometimes neighborhoods or the railroad tracks. Kids go back and forth to play sports with each other. Then they’re all at the high schools and families are going to watch these kids play. It’s almost like a rec league game on a high school level.”
Heading into Thursday night’s battle at Thomas Dale’s J. Wilson Crump Stadium, L.C. Bird holds a narrow 27-26-1 series advantage. The teams battled to a 0-0 tie in the rivalry’s first game. The Knights have won seven straight, starting with a 28-0 victory in 2019. Before that, the Skyhawks had taken 14 of the previous 16 contests. Regardless of winning streaks, the game has traditionally been competitive.
“It’s the logo against the logo, the colors versus the colors. It’s one end of Route 10 against the other end of Route 10,” said Gary Hess, the play-by-play voice of 910 The Fan’s high school football coverage. “It’s the Battle of Chester and it is gripping theater whenever they play. That transcends the nuts and bolts of a year’s particular team.”
Thomas Dale head coach Kevin Tucker grew up in the rivalry. As a kid he grew up going to games and described the yearly matchup with L.C. Bird as a community event.
“You didn’t have to do a lot of talking or hyping it up. It was what it was,” he said.
From years of watching, playing and coaching in the game, the coach has seen plenty of talent and electric play. From Oxendine, Rudi Johnson and William Henderson running over defenders in Thomas Dale maroon and gray to the likes of Johnson, Paul Robertson, Doug Chapman and Jason Snelling doing the same in blue and white, there have been plenty of plays and moments that make the rivalry a year-in, year-out talking point.
In a rivalry game where anything can happen, Tucker recalled his Knights coming out on the losing end of a Hail Mary in 2014. With Thomas Dale leading 15-14 in the closing seconds, L.C. Bird quarterback – and future Notre Dame and NFL defensive back – Jalen Elliott fired a last-second shot at the end zone, where it found the hands of Daijuane Dorsey, sealing a comeback win. It was Dorsey’s first catch of the year.
“I didn’t play offense at all. We had one of our guys at wide receiver get hurt the play before, so Coach Bedwell needed someone to go in,” Dorsey, now a defensive backs coach at Huguenot, recalled. “I immediately jumped up and asked him to put me in the game. I was having a bad game, and I really wanted to make it up to my team … When I got in, I just ran and tracked the ball the entire way and jumped and grabbed it. I couldn’t believe I actually caught it.”
In a rivalry steeped in tradition, this year’s edition of the rivalry features something new. Gerard Johnson is in his first year as head coach at L.C. Bird and brings a more balanced offensive philosophy than Skyhawks fans may be used to. While running back Larry Cherry rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns in L.C. Bird’s 32-8 win over Midlothian in Week 1, starting quarterback Brysen Lewis also stood out – completing 10 of 12 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown. Johnson, who starred at quarterback for Meadowbrook, grew up with a lot of L.C. Bird kids, sharing the opposite border from Thomas Dale. While he was focused on his own team, the rivalry happening just up the road wasn’t lost on him.
Rob Witham
“Over the years you hear about it. You see the game and how competitive they are regardless of the record,” he said. “It’s almost like a Cowboys and Redskins game – the records go out the window. It’s a little bit personal, but it’s always good competition and respected competition on both sides. I’m excited to be a part of it.”
For Tucker, whose Knights are also 1-0 after a 28-0 win over Cosby last week, the excitement doesn’t wear off over the years. The 2026 version brings the same level of chills as years past.
“It’s the same excitement, hair standing up on the back of your neck,” he said. “Communities, back again, bragging rights for 364 days. That’s what high school football is about.”
Note: This article's headline has been corrected to note that this is the 55th installment of the rivalry, not the 55th year.
