West Lauderdale High School’s Stan McCain and Newton County High School’s Gene Mitchell are not afraid to talk about it.

Rather than dismiss today’s tilt as just another game on the schedule, both head coaches acknowledge the importance, not just in the Region 5-4A standings, but also with a  year’s worth of bragging rights on the line.

“I know my kids are going to play hard, and they’re not going to come out flat,” McCain said on the excitement of the game. “They’re going to get after it. … It’s going to be tense at times, but rivalry games are meant to be played with passion, and I think both teams will do that.”

Mitchell said the rivalry is the high-school equivalent of some of the most anticipated rivalry games in sports.

“It’s County vs. West. Our kids know their kids and vice versa,” Mitchell said. “From a coaching standpoint, you don’t worry about the emotional aspect. … If (the two schools) played in a chess match, folks would show up and fill the auditorium. You cut the tension with a knife. It’s Egg Bowl, it’s Iron Bowl, it’s Army-Navy, it’s all those rolled up into one.”

Both teams enter the contest full of confidence, coming off emotional wins last week.

West Lauderdale (7-2, 3-0) edged out Mendenhall High School 27-26, and a win today would clinch the division for the Knights.

“We’ve played really good defense for the most part, and we’ve had just enough offense,” McCain said. “Our guys have been resilient. For the most part, they’ve played four quarters, and we’ve been able to win a couple of ball games in the end.”

Meanwhile, Newton County (6-3, 1-2) notched a pivotal road win over Northeast Lauderdale High School.

“We were in a must-win situation, and I thought we responded extremely well,” Mitchell said. “I thought our defense stepped up at times and played better than they had the previous two weeks. It was just a big win to keep us in this thing.”

The Cougars rely on a number of players for production, but senior standouts Trent Hudnall and DeRyan Wansley have emerged as the team’s top playmakers on both sides of the ball.

“We know, and I think everyone recognizes, they are our top-two playmakers,” Mitchell said. “If we can get the ball in their hands out in space, then they can do big things for us. They both have had big plays on both sides of the ball — Trent’s had a couple 100-plus interceptions returned for scores this year. We realize as a coaching staff that we have to get the ball in their hands, and we have to have to them on the field on defense. And when they touch it, great things happen for us.”  

West will counter with a plethora of talent on both sides of the ball, in particular with running backs Dennis Martin and Keshun Grace.

“We’ve done it with a bunch of kids this year,” McCain said. “It hasn’t just been one guy. Martin gets a good share of carries most of the time, and we’re going to get Grace the ball as much as we need to. (Grace) is a great runner and a good blocker. Those two guys have been pretty good for us.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Newton County.