The Backyard Brawl — the Penn rivalry from the Mishawaka side

1965 – present

The first game: Penn High School is Penn Township's school, and its record is Penn Township's; the rivalry is Mishawaka's to tell from its own side. The first Penn–Mishawaka game was played 5 November 1965 at Tupper Field and ended 0–0. The series' historical data is kept by Mishawaka football archivist Dean McCool, credited in the national account of the rivalry.

The count: The Penn student newspaper's standing count had Penn ahead 45-14-1 as of 2017. The South Bend Tribune, in August 2026, put Penn's wins at 41 of the last 47 meetings — and the recent course cuts both ways: Mishawaka won in 2018 and again in 2024 (27–7); in 2025 Penn rallied from 16–0 down to win 28–22; on 28 August 2026 Penn won 49–7 at Steele Stadium, its largest margin in the series since a 51–0 win in 2002. In the last six meetings counted by the Tribune in 2026, Penn leads 4–2.

The eleven, decomposed: The often-quoted combined figure — eleven football state championships for the city's three high schools since 1920 — resolves exactly in the IHSAA book and the newspaper-era compilation: Penn five playoff titles (1983, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000), Marian three (1973, 1975, 1976), and Mishawaka's three newspaper-era titles (1920, 1925, 1926). In the playoff era alone the three schools hold eight.

The present coach: Keith Kinder took over the Cavemen in 2018; the Tribune's August 2026 account had him 76–24 in charge after the second week of that season, with sectional championships behind him including 2024's. The 2026 season's end stands in the present-state entry.

Sources:

1. Sports Illustrated, history of the Backyard Brawl — first game 5 November 1965, 0–0, at Tupper Field; Dean McCool, archivist.
2. The Pennant (Penn High School), 2017 — series count 45-14-1.
3. South Bend Tribune, 28 August 2026 — the 49–7 game, 41 of the last 47, the 2002 margin, Kinder 76–24, the 2024 and 2018 Mishawaka wins, the 2025 rally.
4. IHSAA Football Records Book — Penn's five titles; Marian's three; AlmanacSports — Mishawaka's three newspaper-era titles.