With 4.8 miles separating the two schools and being similar in size and talent, the Oakmont Spartans and the Gardner Wildcats had been big rivals for over 30 years. Just before the start of COVID, things began to change. In Gardner, sports programs were starting to decline and mismatches became more common. In other sports, the level of competition withstood what it had been in the past, but specifically in football, the competition was not where they wanted it to be. Similarly, at this time, the Lunenburg Blue Knights and the Saint Bernards Bernardians rivalry game that had been played for 20 years on Thanksgiving had been broken up, leaving each team to find a new opponent.
When this change was brought to Oakmont’s attention, they soon added the Blue Knights to their schedule to fill the spot. Even though they were added to play this special game of the season and have continued over the past five years, the rivalry may never compare to the one between Oakmont and Gardner that existed for so long.
When asked who Oakmont’s true rivalry was, here is what a few adult Spartans had to say:
“Lunenburg was always our rival in softball, but Gardner was definitely always a challenging game as well,” says Rachel Sinclair, 2019 graduate, player, and now math teacher.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Todd Stewart also had some input, as he has seen things from multiple points of view. Stating it varies from sport to sport. There was a long history with Gardner, but as we know that is no longer the case. I know in field hockey, Quabbin is a big rival and in baseball, Hudson… so it all depends because each sport is different.
“Lunenburg doesn’t hold the standard of being our ‘rival’ yet because it is very new and Gardner held that position for so long. If you ask anyone who has been around the school for a while, I guarantee they would say Gardner, but now it may vary since all of the changes happened. Consistent rivals are important because it keeps the fans interested and it holds a chip on our shoulder when we play them. It is key to be able to play a competitive game with everyone giving it their all, while also being able to shake hands and look each other in the eyes at the end of the game.” says Ed Fitzgerald, Assistant Athletic Director.
For many years, pranks and jokes were exchanged by each school. Even though people have pushed away from that side of things a little, rivalries still exist for all sports. When different sports have different rivalries, especially ones that are far away, it makes it challenging to have that type of intimate fierceness.
Here is what some of our athletes had to say:
Gael Vera contemplated a few teams, but settled on the Wildcats. “Gardner is definitely our rival even though we only play them once a year. It always has been Gardner, then Bromfield for a little bit, but over my 4 years here Gardner was always a tough, chippy game.”
“North Middlesex has started to become a big rivalry over the past few years by far compared to all the teams we play.” says Amaiya Leblanc, girls’ varsity basketball player.
Haley Bosselait says, “Quabbin has been our rival for field hockey for many years now. We hadn’t won a game on their grass for a couple years until last season and it is always very competitive.”
“Since we know many people on the other team, Lunenburg is always a good game and I would consider them our rival,” says Meghan Heffernan girls varsity lacrosse player.
Based on the input of both adults and students, the answer to the question of who is Oakmont’s rival remains unknown. The athletes of different sports feel strongly about their answers because their team has ‘grown into this rivalry’. However, collectively there is not a specific school that owns the title.
