By JOSH AULT
6 News Reporter

MARYVILLE (WATE) - The battle of Blount County is one of our area's biggest rivalry football games.

Fans for the Maryville-Alcoa game lined up to get inside hours before the game even started.

"This is probably the biggest game of the year," said Michael Connell, a Maryville High School Junior.

"Everybody is here," said Jill Jansing, who was helping sell drinks at the game. "Everybody is talking about this game, not the upcoming UT game. This is the game to be at."

A hour before the game started, parking spots at the Presbyterian church were filled.       

"The money that comes here stays here with the Presbyterian Men's Treasurer, and when some disaster comes up like the floods in Pakistan, the men will send a few thousand dollars," said church member Clarence Durham.

Durham says he was not sure which team would win.
  
"I don't root for either side," said Durham. "I live in Maryville, it's alright for me, but we have people attending this church who are very fine Alcoa people."

Another person selling parking spaces was Matt Brewster. He owns a asphalt business, and thought this was a good opportunity to advertise his business, so he rented a parking lot.

"People come from all over Tennessee to watch and just get some publicity," said Brewster.

Inside the stadium things were even busier.

"We have been extremely swamped," said Jansing. "We got here a little bit before five and within 20 minutes we sold six cases."

Ticket sales for the football game generate around $40,000. That money is split between both schools.

"This game usually funds most athletic program for both schools, just this one game," said Joe Pinkerton, Maryville High School Assistant Principal.

The crowds at the game are in the thousands.

"People say it gets to ten to twelve thousand that might be a little bit of an exaggeration," said Pinkerton. "It's probably 6,500 every year."

For best friends Matt Dixon, a 2010 Alcoa High School graduate, and Jeff Adgington, a Maryville High School Senior, Thursday's game can sometimes be hard on their friendship.

"It does a little bit, I'm not going to lie," said Dixon. "A few weeks before the game there is a little bit of tension and we'll talk smack."

"Oh yeah, just jokingly . . . semi-seriousness," said Adgington.

Alcoa won the game 35-31, but for both schools, and the community, the battle of Blount County is a win win for everyone.