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	Photo by Skip Lawrence In just five installments, the Frederick-Tuscarora football series has produced one stadium evacuation -- last year, thanks to unruly fan behavior -- and one forfeiture -- in 2007, after the Cadets won with an ineligible player. Frederick coach Vince Ahearn discovered and reported the infraction. Purchase this photo

When asked who was the Cadets' biggest football rival, the response, without requiring much thought, would have been Thomas Johnson.

But now that very same question might require a few moments of thought and the response might not be so automatic.

In a very short span, Frederick and Tuscarora have developed one of the most colorful and intense rivalries in the region.

The Cadets and Titans meet for only the fifth time Saturday afternoon. And already there have been enough memorable, even bizarre, moments between the teams to make their rivalry seem old and storied.

Consider every game between the teams has been the first game of the season. When you combine all of the natural excitement that surrounds the start of a season with all of the chest-thumping bravado and personal pride that defines a cross-town rivalry, a little combustion is inevitable, right?

"I don't think it can get any more intense than it already (is)," Ahearn said.

Last year's game, a 40-6 Tuscarora victory, might have been the strangest of all.

A game that started with former-Titan Dominic Clarke returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown ended in an empty stadium because of unruly crowd behavior. A fight erupted in the stands in the third quarter and police decided to evacuate anyone not working the game from the stadium.

"It sort of had a surreal feel to it," said first-year Tuscarora head coach Dean Swink, who served as the Titans' offensive coordinator at the time. "It didn't feel like a real game. I've seen games played in front of small crowds before. But that was almost silent."

From the other sideline, Frederick coach Vince Ahearn said he could have heard a pin drop between plays.

"It was obviously dark. It was misty. That was the other thing, there was a mist that rolled in," Ahearn said. "The whole time, all you heard were a couple pads hitting each other in between a couple of whistles blowing. Then, you are lining up for the next play. That was weird."

But that incident isn't the reason the game has been moved for the first time from Friday night to Saturday afternoon, according to Ahearn.

"Our staff was very comfortable having the game either Friday or Saturday," Ahearn said.

"Like all the (rivalry games), the Linganore -Urbana game and the Frederick -TJ game, it just makes more sense to play it in the day. You've got parking issues and safety issues. Maybe you've people that want to come to the game but can't because they are coming home from work. It just gives everyone an opportunity to participate."

The players and coaches from these teams insist no personal animosity exists between them.

Swink and Ahearn launched their coaching careers on the same staff at Good Counsel in the early 1990s and consult regularly with one another. The players claim only bragging rights are at stake.

Still, there was destined to be a natural rivalry between these schools.

Tuscarora's football program was essentially born out of Frederick 's, the coaches say.

When Tuscarora opened in 2003 and the school districts in Frederick County were realigned, Ahearn saw the size of his team diminish dramatically. The following season only 11 players returned to Frederick from a freshman team of 45.

"Those kids were behind a really good group," Ahearn says with a wry smile, still wondering what might have been.

Officially, the Cadets are looking for their first win against Tuscarora. Although, Swink puts a big asterisk next to that record.

Frederick opened the 2007 season with a 21-0 victory over the Titans until the outcome was reversed weeks later after it was discovered the Cadets used an ineligible player.

Ahearn reported the mistake himself, saying a clerical error on his part led to the infraction. But the win cost Frederick a postseason berth. The Cadets finished 9-2 that season, one win shy of qualifying for the Class 3A West playoffs.

"It's a shame that happened," Swink said. "I still say they whooped us that year pretty badly."

But that sort of strange occurrence has helped define this rivalry, which is surprisingly rich in texture despite its youth.

Frederick doesn't downplay it's rivalry with TJ, still very strong and intense in its own right.

It's just the Cadets have found another neighbor to be more like them. Frederick and Tuscarora are 3A West schools, unlike TJ, which competes in the 4A North.

"For the kids and the younger folks in the community, this is much bigger," referring to Frederick and Tuscarora. "The kids all know each other like the Frederick and TJ kids know each other. This is just more recent."