Final football game between two rival high schools Berea and Midpark

BEREA, Ohio - Midpark High School and Berea High School will play their final game Friday night before the two schools become one.

Students at Midpark gathered in the gymnasium for their final pep rally for the football season Friday afternoon.

"Since the district has two high schools, the past 50 years it's been the big game of the season all of those fifty years," said Midpark Principal Paul Kish.

Kish said the schools will become Berea-Midpark High School.

"There's a decline in enrollment in the younger grades so looking ahead to the future merging the high schools make economic sense.

For Midpark football team captain and senior Branson Repasy, this will be his final game in front of an expected 14,000 audience of people.

"They want us to carry out the name Midpark's had for 50 years with a 25-24 winning record so far," he said.

For some of the students, this move is bittersweet.

"I'm proud to be in the graduating class the last year. It's definitely going to go down as my favorite year," said senior Nicole Bito.

Junior Anfernee Myers said it's bitter because they're leaving the school he thought he'd graduate from behind, but, he's optimistic.

"It's still a good thing knowing I'm going to be the first combined class of the new school and the last junior class of this one," he said.