Through past dominance and recent drama, the Old Shoe Game has endured.
Dallas and Lake-Lehman will play for the 62nd time in 61 years Friday night at Dallas.
The trophy for high school football supremacy in the Back Mountain, a bronzed spiked shoe, is even older than the rivalry.
The Old Shoe Trophy was created in 1948 and awarded for nine years to the best team among Dallas Township, Kingston Township, Lehman Township and Westmoreland.
When the Dallas School District was formed in 1957, it had a special rival for a season finale for most of the six decades that would follow.
In the first year, it was Lehman-Jackson High School, formed in 1953, that defeated Dallas, 13-6.
As school jointures continued, the rivalry became Dallas vs. Lake-Lehman.
Lake-Lehman won 26-6 and 37-0 in 1958 and 1959, completing the first of two three-game winning streaks that were the longest ever produced by the Black Knights.
The rivalry has largely belonged to Dallas since.
The Mountaineers put together streaks of eight straight wins in the 1960s and again in the 1970s, when they posted three straight shutouts by a total of 129-0 from 1971 to 1973. The first decade of the 2000s brought a streak of seven more wins.
With victories in 14 of the last 16 games, Dallas has built its series lead to 45-14-2.
Dominance, however, would hardly describe what has gone on since a 51-6 rout in 2012.
Drama has taken over the last four years.
Lake-Lehman fought back in 2013, overcoming a pair of two-touchdown, first-half deficits. Dustin Jones carried 31 times for 289 yards and three touchdowns as part of a 553-yard attack in a 48-41 victory for the Black Knights.
Dallas has won three straight since, but it has not been easy.
The Mountaineers needed rallies in 2014 (27-26) and 2015 (28-14, after trailing with four minutes left). They did not trail last year, but the game was tied until 1:04 remained when Nate Maransky kicked a 35-yard field goal, his third of the game, for an 18-15 win.
Two playoff-bound teams will meet Friday.
Both Dallas and Lake-Lehman were 6-2 entering this weekend. A home field in the first round of the District 2 playoffs could very well be at stake for each team along with the Old Shoe Trophy. The Mountaineers will be part of the eight-team Class 4A field while the Black Knights are among four teams in Class 3A.
Lake-Lehman went into its game with Holy Redeemer on a five-game winning streak while Dallas went into its meeting with Hazleton Area with four straight wins.
The last two Dallas wins were 21-20 over Wallenpaupack and then, in overtime, Wyoming Area.
The Mountaineers defense shut down three teams that are .500 or better, shutting out one and holding the other two to a single touchdown.
Sophomore tailbacks Danny Meuser and Lenny Kelley are 1-2 on the team in rushing with 559 and 438 yards.
Michael Starbuck, another sophomore, has thrown for 626 yards and seven touchdowns and is coming off his first 100-yard rushing game.
Bradley Adams has a team-high 10 catches, three of them for touchdowns.
Lake-Lehman has allowed 21.9 points per game, holding only Holy Redeemer to less than two touchdowns, but has countered that by averaging more than 30 points on offense.
Nate O’Donnell has become a more effective passer as the season has progressed, but the Black Knights offense is built around its ground game.
Trey Borger (715 yards, 9 touchdowns), Matt Kurtz (622, 8) and Zach Kojadinovich (441, 6) all have run for more than 400 yards.
