The oldest uninterrupted schoolboy football rivalry in the United States is held every autumn between Penn Charter and Germantown Academy. “The Game” has been played more times than the annual Army vs. Navy or Harvard vs. Yale football rivalries. The competition now extends beyond football to fall sports for boys and girls, including soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, tennis and water polo.
The rivalry began when the oldest existing scholastic football league in the country formed to regulate interscholastic sports at independent schools in Philadelphia. When the Inter-Academic League began, the participating schools were Episcopal Academy, Germantown Academy and Penn Charter. In 1887, PC met GA and lost the first ever PC/GA game. The Quakers won the following year, and the lively rivalry began. In 2009, Penn Charter won the 122nd game, and today the tally stands with PC leading 78-33 with 11 ties.
All involved—players, coaches, alumni and other spectators—agree that because of its long rivalry, the PC/GA rivalry ranks equal to, and sometimes surpasses, a championship game.
Though each side plays fiercely for every minute of every game, sportsmanship is valued. At the time of the centennial game in 1986, heads of school Earl J. Ball (PC) and James C. Ledyard (GA) wrote, “Many athletic rivalries formed on the fields of the two schools have matured into lasting friendships. The lessons learned from extending oneself individually in pursuit of a goal, from the spirit of teamwork, and from healthy competition are important aspects of education.”
The Last Play
The final seconds of the 120th PC/GA football game were among the most exciting in recent memory. Click to watch the YouTube video of the last play of the 2007 football season.
Go Charter!
The size, complexity and success of athletics at Penn Charter are evident on a fall or spring afternoon when the fields are pulsing with players, coaches, officials and fans and the air carries the sound of cheering, an umpire's whistle or the crack of a bat on a baseball.
The numbers tell some of the story, too.
The Stats
620 students playing sports
125 coaches
24 varsity teams
44 acres: 7 playing fields, 1 all-weather track, 7 tennis courts, 10 squash courts, 4 basketball courts, 1 swimming pool
4 buildings designated for athletics: Kline & Specter Squash Center, Graham Athletic Center, Ray Dooney Field House, Old Gym
Why We Play
"Requiring everyone to play sports creates a positive environment – it keeps you at school longer hours. Playing field hockey was really rewarding. I would say it shaped my experience at Penn Charter."
