Photo by Reily Chestnut
(Seguin) — Yesterday at Matador Stadium, longtime Seguin Mayor Donna Dodgen welcomed New Braunfels’ newly elected mayor Michael French to place a friendly wager before New Braunfels visits Seguin for the 114th Guadalupe River Bowl on August 28th.
Per usual, Dodgen promised French bags of quality Seguin-grown pecans if New Braunfels wins. If the Matadors beat the Unicorns, French will gift Dodgen some delicious Wurst Sausage in honor of New Braunfels’ German ancestry.
While New Braunfels and Seguin have played each other every year since 1926, Dodgen is excited to kickstart Seguin’s new era with the Unicorns.
“It’s pretty interesting,” Dodgen said. “It’s the first time we’ve ever done that. Usually, [our rivalry game is] further on in the season. Our rivalry has been going on since 1922. We’re the third oldest in the state and the oldest in the San Antonio area, but we are friendly rivals.”
Despite the warm get-together, Dodgen hopes she won’t have to give another bag of pecans like every other year of her tenure.
“All I’ve ever done is give pecans,” Dodgen said. “I’ve never gotten sausage.”
New Braunfels has won 12 straight battles against the football Matadors. However, Dodgen believes this could be the year Seguin turns the tide.
“I think our [team] can do [it]. Everyone’s really excited. They’ve been working really hard. They did well in their scrimmage Friday evening, so I think they have a really, really good chance. I think it’s time.”
Win or lose, Dodgen and French are happy to come together for a cause bigger than the game result. The New Braunfels-Seguin season opener will be part of the statewide Peanut Butter Bowl campaign that uses high school football games to help combat hunger.
“It’s this incredible time to be able to give food to our community,” Dodgen said. “Whether we like it or not, Seguin has one in six people in poverty, our county about one in seven. It’s still an issue, and we’re working through the economics of it [to] move past that. But right now, things being so expensive, [people] really are being hit a little harder.”
While peanut butter owns the marquee, non-perishable foods of any kind will be accepted by the Christian Cupboard of Seguin along with cash.
Seguin hosts New Braunfels on Friday, August 28th at 7pm. Pregame for the 114th Guadalupe River Bowl starts at 6:30pm on KWED and streaming worldwide on SeguinToday.com.