Two Rivers: A Story of High School Football Rivalries in Pueblo Colorado

Two Rivers: A Story of High School Football in Pueblo Colorado from Pueblo District 60 on Vimeo.

On Saturday, July 30, a riveting documentary highlighting Pueblo’s two storied High School Football Rivalries will premiere at Pueblo Memorial Hall. The hour-long documentary was directed by Pueblo native, Stanton Gilliland and produced by FanVu, a Colorado-based broadcasting and media production company. This FanVu sports entertainment production is made possible thanks to a large contribution from the Southern Colorado Community Foundation.

The world premiere of “Two Rivers: A Story of High School Football Rivalries in Pueblo, Colorado” will be shown live at the Pueblo Memorial Hall. There will be three showings: Premiere at 3 p.m. (reserved seating), 6 p.m. (general admission) and 8 p.m. (general admission). Pueblo Memorial Hall will begin selling tickets for all three showings on Monday, May 16 at 10 a.m. Tickets may be purchased online for $8 or at the Pueblo Memorial Hall Box Office for $6.50.

The Bell Game is the city’s most storied football contest, one of its most popular communal events, and is considered the oldest ongoing rivalry west of the Mississippi River. 

Also referred to as the “One Hundred Year War,” it began on Thanksgiving Day 1892 at Minnequa Ball Park near Lake Minnequa, when the Central Wildcats and the Centennial Bulldogs first squared off on the gridiron.

Now, the history, pageantry and spirited competition of The Bell Game – as well as its equally celebrated counterpart, The Cannon Game -- is coming to the big screen.

For nearly a year, FanVu has been working on an hour-long documentary entitled “Two Rivers: A Story of High School Football Rivalries in Pueblo, Colorado,” a colorful and captivating document of Pueblo’s two long-standing football rivalries.

The name “Two Rivers” references the Bell Game’s standing as the oldest high school rivalry west of the Mississippi River and the fact that Pueblo – and with it the rivalry schools -- is physically divided by the Arkansas River.

Combining historical footage and photographs, interviews, and of course, action from the historic Bell and Cannon Games, “Two Rivers: A Story of High School Football Rivalries in Pueblo, Colorado” is an exciting and informative look into the unparalleled legacy of football in Pueblo, and the ever-growing fan and community interest in these two contests.

“We are elated that FanVu has chosen Pueblo and its football rivalries for this production,” noted Pueblo District 60 Athletics Director Aaron Bravo. “We all know the excitement and interest the Bell and Cannon Games generate, and now it’s time for the rest of the nation, and world, to find out what makes Pueblo football so special.”