The Bastrop-Elgin rivalry has roots dating back to 1921, but the two schools haven’t met on the football field since 1989.
The 20-year absence is over and the rivalry game scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 28 highlights the 2010 season of Bastrop County football.
All three Bastrop County football coaches recently released their 2010 varsity schedules.
An interesting observation is that both Elgin and Smithville have one home game each before the start of district play.
The Wildcats won’t play their first home game until Sept. 17, when they host Giddings.
Smithville plays its only home game before district on Sept. 3 when they host Wharton.
Here is a look at the six most  intriguing games in Bastrop County for the upcoming season:
1. Elgin at Bastrop, Oct. 28: There has been a total of 54 meetings between the county’s two biggest high schools, with Bastrop owning a 26-14-4 record all time against the Wildcats. This looks like the Bears’ game to lose on paper, but as with any rivalry, records mean nothing. You can bet that with the TV cameras rolling at BISD Memorial Stadium, the Bears and Wildcats will come ready to play in front of an anticipated packed house.
2. Hendrickson at Bastrop, Oct. 15: The over/under for this game should be no less than 100 points. The Hawks will ride the legs of their star running back Kenny Williams, who averaged 9.9 yards-per-carry and ran for a total 1,714 yards in 2009.
Bastrop’s counter weapon is Josiah Monroe, who had 3,029 yard of offense and 27 touchdowns last season. Williams and Monroe scored a combined 282 points. last year.
This game will probably decide the District 16-4A championship.
3. Smithvile at La Grange, Nov. 5: The last two meetings have been decided in the last few minutes with each team winning once, each on the other team’s home field. The Smithville-La Grange rivalry will close out the 2010 regular season for both teams. Anything can happen when these two get together.
4. Elgin at Taylor, Sept. 10: This rivalry game will close out a three-game road trip for the Wildcats. The two teams have split their last two meetings, with Elgin last winning in 2008 on a last-second field goal by Kelton McMillan in Taylor.
5. Bastrop at McNeil, Aug. 27: This game opens the 2010 season for the Bears and what better place to do it than Round Rock ISD Stadium, also known as “The Palace.” Every high school football fan owes it to themselves to go watch a game in this stadium, located on Palmer Ave. in Austin.
6. Stony Point at Cedar Creek, Aug. 27 at BISD Memorial Stadium: While this isn’t a varsity game — Cedar Creek will play a junior varsity only schedule in 2010 — it is one worth noting because it will be the first for Cedar Creek.