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It’s not unusual for residents on Luverne’s Evergreen Drive to fly flags in their front yards.
For Marv and Margaret Gonnerman, their decoration of choice involves the North Dakota State University Bisons.
For their next-door neighbors Angela and TJ Newgard, it’s the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits.
Unbeknownst to either one of them, their favorite college teams will meet Sunday for the Football Conference Subdivision Championship in Frisco, Texas.
Both will be watching the game on television, rooting for their favorite college team Sunday afternoon.
“I like the Bison and they like the Jackrabbits,” Gonnerman said of the low-key rivalry between neighbors.
“I am a little leery about Brookings (SDSU). They have a good team.”
Gonnerman’s NDSU has won the FCS Championship nine times.
He’s flown the team’s green and yellow school flag for at least a decade, when his daughter moved her family to Fargo, North Dakota.
SDSU is making their 11th consecutive appearance in the FCS. Their best finish was runner-up in 2020.
Newgard’s SDSU blue and yellow flag has been in her front yard since the school’s Hobo Days in September. The Jackrabbits have won 12 games since the flag began flying on the Newgards’ front yard.
“I’m keeping it up until after the game,” she said.
Newgard, an SDSU alum, was at first uneasy about displaying her college flag so close to a NSDU rival, thinking the SDSU flag would upset Gonnerman.
The team preference has had the opposite effect.
“It’s just a little fun between ourselves,” Gonnerman said. “It’s just a ballgame. Someone has to win and someone has to lose.”
For the first time, SDSU is seeded No. 1, having beat NDSU in the regular season.
Gonnerman said he would not be surprised if the Jackrabbits won Sunday’s game.
“The Bison have won so many,” he said with a slight smile.
On a more serious note, the appearance of two local colleges on national television is positive.
“It’s nice for us that these two Dakota teams get this notice,” Gonnerman said. “Good luck to both of them.”