Friday, September 7th was the 59th year of the traditional Bell Game, the Anaheim High School football team played against Western High School for a chance to take back the bell. After a lot of hype, Anaheim took a hard loss of 0 to 48.

Western High school has been able to maintain the bell for 8 years. It’s been that long since the Colony had it last.

But what does the bell represent to Anaheim and the football players?

The tradition of these two football teams battling for a railroad bronze bell all started in 1959.  The first game was played at the Glover Stadium at La Palma Park, with an audience of nearly 15,000! It is not the Bell that matters for these football teams; what truly is important is winning the honor of earning the city’s pride. Anaheim last won the bell in 2006, with a score of 20 to 3. The city celebrated the win by gathering around the streets of Anaheim cheering on the team as they passed by to the school with the bell.

Since the beginning, the fight for the Bell has become one of the most anticipated games of the year. The Anaheim High school football team practices daily to prepare for the Bell game against Western High School.

On Thursday, September 6, Anaheim High School’s football team was interviewed about their preparation for the game. Most of the players appeared to be nervous, anxious, and excited. When asked what the bell signified to them, Idalia Rodriguez, the only female on the football team said, “ It symbolizes the roots to the school. If we don’t have the bell we aren’t good enough as a team.” When asked what they were looking forward to in the Bell Game, Marcos Cardona, Offense Line, responded, “Playing with my guys, you know? Most of these guys have been playing together for four years. One more chance to play for the bell.” Julian Ureño, wide receiver, continued, “ One more go, bring the bell home!”