For Middletown football players Andrew and Jude Smith, the Erie Bell rivalry with Port Jervis is more than a game they grew up watching.
Long before they suited up for Middletown, the brothers heard stories about the “Bell Game” from their father, Robert Smith Jr., and grandfather, Pastor Robert Smith Sr. It made the Erie Bell feel like a family tradition long before Andrew and Jude were old enough to take the field themselves.
The Erie Bell game dates to 1897, and it still carries tremendous weight in both communities. Middletown (3-0) hosts Port Jervis (2-1) in the latest showdown at 1 p.m. Saturday at Faller Field. The Middies lead the all-time series 78-62-7.
“Honestly, when we were younger, we said the Erie Bell game is all that matters,” said Andrew Smith, a senior safety and linebacker. “It is as big as making it to the state playoffs. The love for the game in both towns is tremendous, and it has stood the test of time through a long history.”
Port Jervis, the 2024 Class B state champion, has dominated the last two Erie Bell games. The Raiders won last year’s game 55-21 and defeated Middletown 46-14 the year before. This year’s showdown is expected to be much more competitive.
The game’s tradition runs deep in both Middletown and Port Jervis, with several players having relatives who have suited up for one of the greatest high school rivalries in the country. Robert Smith Jr., who played for Middletown in the mid-1990s, and his father both earned wins in the Erie Bell game.
Andrew and Jude Smith, a junior, hope that after Saturday they will know what it is like to win the famed “Bell.”
“To get to play in the game with your brothers on the field and your real brother is something you can talk about forever,” Middletown coach Tim Strenfel said. “It would be truly special for Andrew and Jude.”