Not surprisingly, the Douglas and Carson high school football teams have had their respective seasons boil down to this one game.
Thursday night at 7 p.m., the Tigers and Senators will get together for the 52nd renewal of a neighborhood rivalry that dates back to 1923, and both teams will be fighting to keep their respective seasons alive at Keith Roman Field.
Carson is 1-3 (4-4) and looking for a win to lock up the league's fourth and final playoff berth. Douglas, winless in Sierra League play at 0-4 (2-6 overall), wants to win and create the possibility of a three-way tie for that fourth spot.
Douglas coach Mike Rippee will simply settle for a strong performance on the field.
"Our biggest concern is to play well for 48 minutes," said Rippee, whose Tigers clinched playoff berths with regular-season ending wins against Carson in 1996 and in '99. "If we can do that, then we'll see; maybe some good things will happen."
This is what needs to happen for the Tigers to have a chance at going on to the post-season: Douglas needs to beat Carson and Reno must lose at Wooster on Friday afternoon to create a three-way tie
A three-way tie-breaker between Douglas, Carson and Reno would be determined by the NIAA's 13-point plan. Carson beat Reno 37-6 (a maximum of 13 points are allowed by the tie-breaker plan) and Reno has beaten Douglas by 8 (in overtime). Douglas now needs to beat Carson by at least 11 points to gain an advantage over Carson under the format.
Rippee hasn't concerned about numbers this week, though.
"We've looked at all that and we know what we need to do," Rippee said. "But we don't want to put the horse before the wagon, either. Our main concern is to play hard for the entire game and try to make the big plays when we need them. If we do that, then we'll take a look at the other things and see what happens.
"Hey, if we win the game by half a point, I'd still be happy."
The two rivals are comparable in terms of available weapons. Both have solid defensive units. Both have home run threats who can score from anywhere on the field: Carson running back Douglas Brooks (division 100-meter dash champion last track season) and Douglas wide receiver Gabe Hatchett (third in the state meet 110 high hurdles). Both favor running attacks, yet are capable of throwing the ball.
Carson's running game features power back Josh Carter and the speedy Brooks. Douglas counters with a stable of backs that includes Monte McCann, Kolt Clore, Drew Hall and Dusty Cornwall.
McCann sustained a bruised shoulder early in the Tigers' 28-21 loss at Wooster last Saturday and is listed as questionable for Thursday. The same holds true for Clore, who has been hobbled by an ankle sprain.
"If there's any way those guys can play, they'll be out there," Rippee said. "We feel confident about having Dusty Cornwall, too. He's a senior who has been in the program four years. He has kind of played in the shadows, but when we needed him Saturday at Wooster, he stepped up and did a fine job."
Cornwall rushed for 48 yards on 12 carries, including a 2-yard touchdown run on a fourth-down play against Wooster.
Carson holds a 35-13-3 lead in the overall series, but this is one of those rivalry games where past records have no meaning.
"For a long time, this has been a strong rivalry that's been played out on the field," Rippee said. "It's always a great challenge to play Bob (Bateman, Carson coach) and the Carson program. It's made for some good and exciting football down through the years. The last couple of years have been pretty close and we're expecting another tight game on Thursday night."
