If you’re a fan of Indiana high school basketball and you haven’t been to an Argos versus Culver boys basketball game, you’re missing out. Marshall County’s famed high school basketball rivalry is turning 44 years old and the hype is just as big as it ever was. The Argos Dragons will take on the Culver Cavaliers on February 11 at Phil Weybright Gymnasium in Argos and the prized bell will be on the line.
The storied rivalry began back in 1973 when former Cavalier Craig Welling wanted to spice up the competition between the two schools. He raised money and purchased a bell. Both schools were allowed to decorate half of the bell and there the rivalry was born.
Both Argos and Culver, separated by a few miles on State Road 10, have had their fair share of the bell over the years. Argos has won the bell 25 times to Culver’s 17 times. The longest streak of wins is held by Argos with 9 straight from 1996 to 2004. Culver has had a resurgence in the program and has won the bell 7 times out of the last 11 years and are the current holders of the bell after defeating the Dragons last year 41-39.
The atmosphere of the contests shows the pinnacle of Indiana high school basketball. Each school’s student section inspires the teams to play harder. The gym is always at capacity at every bell game. The passion and the school spirit is very evident when these two sides meet and the roar of the crowd proves just that.
Every season since the birth of this rivalry, the hype has heightened and since the IHSAA has created the class basketball tournament system, the two schools have been in the same sectional which builds up these games to epic proportions. Teams will make goals at the beginning of the season and the bell game and possibly Sectionals will always be included for many years to come.
On Thursday February 11th, the two programs will meet again at Phil Weybright Gymnasium in Argos. The Dragons will enter the contest 98 while the Cavaliers are 114. This is what Indiana high school basketball is all about and next week southern Marshall County will be buzzing.
Article Provided by Spencer VanDerWeele, a student at Argos High School
