Westlake-River Gridders Renew Rivalry

The Westlake Demons and the Rocky River Pirates have had many memorable football games over the years but have not faced each other on the gridiron since 2014 after playing every season dating back to 1954. That will change starting in the 2019 season as they open the season at UH-St. John Stadium in Westlake. Not only will the two teams renew their rivalry but they will play for a trophy, The Westwood Cup. Westlake owns a 32-28-1 season series advantage.

The Westwood Cup is sponsored by Westwood Country Club which owns property in both Westlake and Rocky River. The club has over 350 members and employees that live in the two communities.

“Westwood Country Club is very proud to be part of the wonderful Rocky River and Westlake communities for more than 100 years. We are excited to be a partner in this great community event and look forward to the renewal of this series,” said Dan Denihan, General Manager, Westwood Country Club.

“When I first arrived as the Director of Athletics at Westlake, we used to open our season with three non-conference games– Bay, North Ridgeville and Rocky River–and the game against River was always a great event with huge crowds. It was the place to be. The fact that we are renewing this rivalry and playing for the Westwood Cup is going to be an awesome way to kick off our season. The excitement should be at fever pitch when the teams take the field,” said Westlake Director of Athletics, Tony Cipollone.

“Our football team, school, and community are excited to have Westlake back on the football schedule. We have played in many close and hard fought games with Westlake over the years, and the atmosphere around the games has always been exciting. To have this game to open the season, with the “Westwood Cup” to compete for will be a fun and memorable way for our teams to start the football season,” said Mark Wagner, Director of Athletics for the Rocky River School District.

On the game, Rocky River, Coach Josh Wells said, “We are very excited to be playing in the inaugural Westwood Cup game against Westlake. It has been a few years since our schools have played each other. The Westwood Cup is a great way for us to renew the rivalry. We couldn’t ask for a better way to open the 2019 football season!”

Westlake Head Coach Dan LaRocco agreed, “Our team is honored to reignite the neighborhood rivalry with Rocky River. These are two like-minded communities that value academic and athletic excellence. Coach Wells runs a playoff caliber program and we look forward to the challenge.”

The game will be played on Thursday night, Aug. 29 at 7 pm at Westlake’s UH-St John Stadium.