Video: A House Divided

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Unlike Mississippi State and other colleges, high school football has been underway for a couple of weeks now, and just like college teams, there are rivalries in high school too.

One Lowndes County household has two rivals who are brothers off the field, and enemies on the field.

Chris Blair and Kyree Fields are one year apart, and both play defense, but one is a Columbus Falcon and the other is a New Hope Trojan.

“Chris lives with his biological mother, and I’m married to his biological father, so people will say that he’s my stepson, although that’s not a word that we use in my house, so Chris lives with his mom, who lives in the Columbus district, and Kyree lives with us in the New Hope district,” says mom, Santel Blair.

That’s why their mom has shirts representing both teams, and switches stands during halftime.

“It gets kind of crazy because I want them on my side, and Chris wants them on his side, but at the end of the day, we know they’re cheering for both of us,” says younger brother, Kryee Fields.

Crazy and chaotic, that’s the way the family describes the household the week of the big rival game.

“It’s a lot of trash talking. It’s a lot, it’s a lot goes on in the house. He’s going to talk to his trash about his team and what they’re going to do to me, what they’re going to do, and then I talk my trash with my teammates, and what we’re going to do to them, and we just have to see what we’re going to do on Friday,” says older brother, Chris Blair.

Older brother Blair earned the bragging rights last year, and younger brother Fields is looking for revenge.

“This is the last time they’ll play each other. The last time they’ll be on the same field, so it’s exciting and super sad at the same time because now, I’m only going to have one in high school,” says mom, Santel Blair.

The game is also a little sad for the family because their aunt, who’s one of their biggest cheerleaders, is missing her first rival game because she had a stroke last week, and is still in recovery.

“Knowing that she wasn’t there, we know she would be there, even though she ain’t there, we know that she would do anything in her power to be there if she could,” says younger brother, Fields.

Although their house is divided, their hearts are united, just like the shirts say.

“We’ve always been competitive towards each other, like we played pee-wee ball together, against each other. When I, he played quarterback, and I played like, D-tackle or something. It’s all love on the field and at home,” says older brother, Blair.

The Trojans and Falcons will be facing off Friday night at 7 p.m. at New Hope High School.