JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Raines and Ribault High School players played their annual pre-season game Friday night at 121 Financial Ballpark, giving a nod to the past in the third High School Heritage Classic.
The Raines Vikings wore white, the Ribault Trojans were in gray.
The players all suited up in customized Jacksonville Red Caps uniforms — a salute to the Negro Leagues team based in Jacksonville from 1938 to 1942.
Fans in the stand told us the event is encouraging to see, and that it’s about more than a game.
“My nephew is a senior this year on the baseball team and it feels good to have someone there who is carrying on the tradition of being an illustrious alumnus of Ribault High School,” said Shawndra Brooks, who graduated in 1992.
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp hosted the High School Heritage Classic as a tribute during Black History Month, recognizing how past players laid the foundation for today’s sport.
“It’s great!” said Raines graduate Greg Miller. “It’s just the rivalry, Raines-Ribault will live on forever.”
“This is the biggest rivalry in Jacksonville, all across the board,” said Jonelle McDougal, who graduated from Ribault in 2012. “It doesn’t matter what sport it is. We’re here.”
The winning team -- the Trojans -- earned the A. Philip Randolph Cup, commemorating the civil rights activist who moved to Jacksonville in 1891.
The Vikings won each of the first two.
The regular baseball season is set to begin Monday.