Marist and St. Pius X are two of the oldest and largest Catholic schools in the Atlanta area. As one might imagine, the athletic rivalry between our two schools has a long and lustrous history.
On a fall day in 1962, a football game now known as the “Fish Bowl” took place. St. Pius X won or tied 12 of the first 14 games. After athletics started to develop at our school, however, Marist won the next 26 of 27 matchups.
Still today, the varsity football team competes for the Fish Bowl trophy each year.
This is an ongoing rivalry that has stood the test of time. There are generations of families who are involved and will continue the tradition.
It started and continues to be the most prevalent in basketball and football. Marist tends to dominate more in football while St. Pius X dominates more in basketball.
Marist went on a basketball hot streak from 1981 to the mid-1990s. The most recent Marist – Pius matchup took place on February 16, 2024. The varsity boys lost 47-53. The girls varsity team won 61-22.
Pius student JD Foster shared his experience with this historic rivalry. “In my particular sport, basketball, I truly believe that Pius has a leg up on Marist in this rivalry,” Foster said.
The reason why this rivalry has lasted so long is because people strongly identify with either school. It becomes a part of them before they even attend one school or the other. The rivalry is based on school spirit as much as as athleticism.
Marist student Reese Sullivan believes this rivalry starts as early as elementary school. “Even before I attended Marist, my previous school, OLA, had this very prominent rivalry which divided the school,” Sullivan said.
A similar experience is shared by St. Pius X Athletic Director Tim Mooney. “Long before my time here (I’m in my sixth year), I actually learned about the rivalry back in 2000 while coaching football at Rhodes College,” said Mooney.
Another aspect of the rivalry includes students, alumni, teachers, staff, coaches, and people who know other people who go or work at the other school.
Marist athletic director Derek Waugh shared a favorite moment from his time as a Marist basketball player. “As a player, I remember we almost lost my senior year in basketball on the road, but a game-sealing dunk and landing in their student section was about as hyped as I ever was as a player,” said Waugh.
In 2022, student Afton Mosley blocked Pius’ winning field goal attempt in overtime to win the region title, one more dramatic moment in this long-lived rivalry.
