As we rack up against Chesterton on Friday, Coach Marshall has some wisdom and a great inspirational video that he dropped on the crew before the team meal. Enjoy...

If I say the word rivalry, I want you to think about what is the most iconic individual against individual or team against team rivalries in your mind. In your mind, this is your system of belief, your opinion. Go ahead.

Here’s the responses from the crowd:

• Rocky / Apollo
• Bears / Packers
• Steelers / Ravens
• USA / Russia
• IU / Purdue
• Cubs / Sox
• Michigan / Ohio State
• Texas / OU
• Red Sox / Yankees
• Celtics /Lakers
• Bulls / Pistons
• Duke / UNC
• Brady / Mannings
• Arnold Palmer / Jack Nicholas
• Ali / Frazier
• Federer / Nadal
• Messi / Ronaldo. 

Now, let me ask you this though. What makes, in your opinion, what makes a good rivalry? Parents, you can help with this too. What makes the rivalry a rivalry? 

Go ahead.

Competitive, okay. So, let me ask you this. So are you telling me that teams that are rivals will ratchet it up one notch higher when they're facing that team versus another or that individual versus another person?

So it's a little bit more personal, isn't it? 

Other responses from the crowd included

• The physicality of the game
• Dis-likeness
• The fans' reaction
• Similar talent base 

How about this? How about, traditional and history? 

You want to talk about history? 

Since 1994, guys, we are 24 and 14 against Chesterton. That's history. 24 and 14. But there is history there, don't get me wrong. We play for something that's bigger than a W in the win column. We do. You know you do. You play for bragging rights. You know those bragging rights roll right into basketball season. And I know I'm gonna see some of you seniors in that front row of Viking Nation reminding Chesterton about that football game. Right? 

Next thing is constantly playing close games. I’ll talk more about this in the locker room in privacy tomorrow.

Here's what I want you to understand. This rivalry, even though it's 24 and 14 since 1994, (which includes playoff games) the last four times we have played them, it has been decided by a combined 25 points. 

Four games by combining 25 points.

Need I remind you in 2022, we won by 6.

And then the playoffs, we won by 7.

Okay, then I remind you in 2021, we only won by 3.

All right. And then I'll remind you again. We only won by 9 in 2020.

Okay, it's that competitiveness, that competitive edge. When I leave all that for tomorrow.

I'm gonna tell you right now about a rivalry that is the biggest rivalry you will ever come across. I don't care whether you go to the big house and watch Ohio State walk in, all right? I don't care whether it's Notre Dame or Stanford filled with 80,000, 100,000 people. I'm gonna show you a video that's gonna tell you about the biggest rivalry you will ever, ever, ever be a part of. So bear with me for three minutes and watch this video.

Now this is where I connected to your life.

Because you're young and you're impressionable but here's what I want to remind you.

You gave me great rivalries just then, and I agree with every single one of them.

But the greatest rivalry you will face is the one within yourself.

It’s the greatest rivalry you’ll ever face.

You all know you've been there. You all know you have had it. You all have that little voice inside of you saying “Why did I put forth all this effort and I didn't get what I wanted.” 

You have that little voice saying “that guy's bigger” “he's faster” “he's stronger” “he's smarter” “he's better looking” I can't have it.

You have that voice inside of your head telling you to STOP. 

Why even try?

Don't do it.

Don't apply.

Don't do what you know that you can ACTUALLY DO.

I’ve been looking a lot into the research, and whether you call it psychological insecurity, whether you call it pessimism, or whatever you want to reference it as; you are young enough now to hopefully comprehend this: the greatest rivalry you will have is yourself.

You need to understand that!

Because there will be nothing that is given to you. In fact, in more ways than not, you will be put down, battered, bruised, and beaten by life. MORE SO, than you will be lifted up, praised, and glorified.

But it's you that has to go ahead and see through that and understand that none of that outside noise matters.

The greatest rivalry is yourself.

And if you can start winning those battles daily or whenever they present themselves; because we all know in this room many of us have gone through some hell in our lives.

When you can go ahead and push through it and you can go ahead and make sure that you don't allow those things; that little voice can sit there and say “just be calm” ”just be complacent” “just let it happen”

No, To Hell with that!

Push through and persevere. 

Because what’s on the other side much like that NASCAR analogy that he used.

What's on the other side of that could be years away OR it could be tomorrow. But you will never know if you stay static in that moment, and in that thought, or in that mindset. 

Your greatest rivalry is you… do something about it.

Make sure you apply that in everything that you do in life.

And especially apply it tomorrow!

Go Vikings!