Wow, what a week it was for local sports news. First, there was the announcement that Chris Cameron was stepping sidways from his head coaching duties at Bishop Guertin to be his son Brian’s assistant,with Brian elevated to the head boys lacrose job.

Then there was the news just over a day later that former Silver Knight pitcher Nick Guarino would be the team’s new manager.

But there’s no rest for the weary. Why? It’s Battle of the Bridge Week. Yes, those Nashua High School North-South battles happen basically three times a school year, and this is the first one for 2024-25.

And it never gets old. This is the 21st year of the rivalry since the one Nashua school split. The three seasonal battles all have their unique aspects.

“One of the best things about the fall is it’s all condensed,” Nashua Athletics Director Lisa Gingras, who basically helped revamp the rivalry with a name and close scheduling. “For a couple of days in either direction.”

It starts with field hockey tonight at 6 p.m. at Stellos, then a boy-girl soccer doubleheader Tuesday at Stellos at 4 and 6. Cross country will be taking place while soccer is going on as well. Then one of the more student-involved events is the girls volleyball matchup, and this year it’s at Nashua South. That’s almost a must-see because of its basketball-like atmosphere with the student sections.

Of course each Battle has its main event, and in the fall that will be varsity football next Friday, which has produced some ho-hum games but also some thrillers. There’s even more emphasis for this matchup because, with no Thanksgiving game any longer, it’s more than likely the only time the two teams will match up.

Heck, there’s even bass fishing involved, that on Thursday when it’s a state qualifier. The only thing that isn’t included in the week is golf. The closing/sale of Green Meadow well over a year ago has helped shut out North and South of any home course, so that will be on Oct. 1 when they are at Pease Golf Course in a multi-team match.

The athletic department also does a good job of getting the sub-varsity squads involved, those count in the standings of who has won the Battle.

Look, we all know how big of a deal anything North vs. South is. It was new just post-split, when the city was more used to Nashua-Bishop Guertin as a big deal. That has lessened greatly,although it can still be intense. But it’s all about North-South. Each year it seems the atmosphere gets better.

“What I definitely like about it is the excitement it builds in the buildings and in the community,” Gingras said. “Each building also has a spirit week that week so they have a different theme each day and those themes carry into the games, things like that. It creates a lot of excitement.”

Is it what Gingras envisioned when she and her staff labeled it Battle of the Bridge scheduled everything the way it is? They tried a few things and over the years

“It is,” she said. “The first couple of years we had played around with an all day long Saturday event, and the kids didn’t like it. They wanted it all spread out. So we’ve tweaked things, so that Monday’s field hockey, Tuesday’s soccer, Wednesday’s volleyball, Friday’s football….”

There’s been some memorable games, too many to mention here. North broke through a couple of years ago to beat defending champion South in boys soccer. There was the untimed down at the end of the football game in 2021, won by South 43-42. Last year the North girls soccer team helped turn its season around with a win over South.

But sometimes it works the other way. Sometimes you definitely want to be the team that plays North or South after they meet, because it’s a natural letdown from all the emotion, especially for the winner.

But this is such a big deal for the student-athletes. Some kids have told yours truly they lose sleep even over the weekend prior to the start of Bridge Week. Remember, it’s about the players more than anything.

So if you get a chance, take in a Battle of the Bridge event. You’ll likely see something you’ve never seen before.

See you there.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on X (formerly twitter) @Telegraph _TomK.