WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- It was a packed house in spite of the rainy weather for the final backyard brawl in Wilkes-Barre.
GAR and Meyers squared off on the football field for the 86th time before the two city schools merge along with Coughlin next year.
The big game brought out graduates from decades past to watch this year's teams battle it out for the bragging rights.
For some, this final game marks the end of an era.
"I think it's a great thing for this last game, but it's hard to deal with it because a great rivalry is coming to an end," said Jared Soto, GAR class of 2018. "It's hard to deal with that because it's going to be the last game they're ever going to see."
"In general, it shows the importance of the neighborhood schools and what these schools meant to the communities, the hill and south Wilkes-Barre, and it's sad that that's no longer going to be something that the next generations are going to be able to have," said Joe Borland, Meyers class of 2002.