SportsZone Football Friday Game of the Week Preview: Hickman at Battle

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Hickman and Battle will soon collide in a clash for Columbia pride.

The Kewpies (2-1) are ready to travel across town for a showdown with the Spartans (0-3) in Week 4 of the high school football season.

The Spartans and Kewpies are our SportsZone Football Friday Game of the Week. You can watch the game live over the air channel 17.3 on KZOU. Here is a look at other local listings:

• DirecTV - Channel 18
• Dish Network - Channel 32
• Mediacom - Channel 12 & 709
• Centurylink - Channel 12
• Spectrum - Channel 183

Ahead of Friday's game, Hickman clinched its best three-game start to a season in 13 years. The Kewpies rallied to complete a 10-point, fourth-quarter comeback against Capital City their last time out, scoring 20 unanswered points in the final 12 minutes to earn their first win over the Cavaliers since 2021. Not only did Hickman bounce back from a 35-point loss to Helias, head coach Justin Conyers ignited a confidence within his team.

“I think that we learned that we do have the grit that it takes and the will to go out and win,” Conyers said. “We can be in tough ball games, playing tough people, and we can come from behind. We were down 10 points. I think that this game really kind of showed our ball club, who we can be when we trust the process overall.”

Battle is still searching for its first win under first-year head coach Shawn Gaines. The Spartans have lost three straight contests to start the 2025 season, falling to Helias in their most recent outing. Despite suffering some lopsided losses, Coach Gaines has been proud of the resilience his team has shown over the last three games.

“Our kids aren't giving up. They're continuing to fight. They're continuing to show up and trying their best to make some type of effort to make a play,” Gaines said. “I think that next step for us, offensively, is putting together a drive early and getting into the end zone. Defensively, it is getting a stop and forcing teams to punt. I think that's the next step for us. We've gotten stops and forced field goals before. We’ve gotten teams to third down multiple times.”

Gaines is coaching and developing a very young team. Battle currently has seven-to-eight student-athletes who are in the varsity starting lineup as freshmen or sophomores. The Spartans are hoping the valuable experience their young players are receiving will translate to more wins in the future.

“We still got a lot of room to grow, just because we're so young, but I think definitely down the line, next year and the year after that, this experience that they're getting now is going to be highlighted, hopefully by our record and how we are producing on the field,” Gaines said.

Friday's crosstown showdown will also represent a reunion between Battle and Coach Conyers. Back in 2013, Conyers was hired as Battle's first-ever head football coach, leading the Spartans to a state championship, five straight district crowns and a 54-20 overall record. Friday night will mark the first time that Coach Conyers will stand on the sidelines of Battle's football field since departing to Hallsville High School in 2019.

“I think it's going to be a little surreal because I spent so much time standing over on that other sideline. We worked so hard to build that place into something special and had a lot of success. I was very blessed to have had that opportunity,” Conyers said. “It'll make my night complete if we can go back over there and get that win, and we can celebrate that victory being back at my old place.”

With the exception of the 2020 season, Hickman and Battle have played each other in every campaign since 2014. The Spartans won the first nine meetings between the two schools, but the Kewpies ended that streak last year, defeating Battle for the first time in program history (34-20) at Alumni Stadium. However, one aspect of the rivalry that hasn't changed is the emotion surrounding this contest.

“I know in the early years, there was the notion that Battle stole all of Hickman’s talent early on. I know that was a conversation. I heard that, if it wasn't for Battle, then Hickman would have another title. So, I know that adds a little bit of fuel to the fire,” Gaines said. “That Columbia versus Columbia rivalry is a big deal. We're all battling for the crown. We want to be known as the city champs.”

“What makes this rivalry a little more heated is there was this ‘well, the only reason you guys won was because you got the Hickman kids,’ and now, it's like 12 years later, and we're still having conversations about that. It makes the bitterness of the rivalry that much more heated. The kids are so close knit, so I think that amps up the tension a little bit more too,” Conyers said. 

Just like the Providence Bowl between Rock Bridge and Hickman, this rivalry has evolved into an annual event that both schools and the community circle on their calendars.

“It’s all about pride, number one. That's what it is. You got to take pride in your school. You got to take pride in going and getting after somebody else across town. There's a lot of trash talking that goes on between the students,” Conyers said. “Emotions are going to be running high between these kids. There's just too much pride that's on the line. But, we have to see, how can we channel those emotions and turn it into positivity for us on Friday nights?”

“You got to take pride in what you do, take pride in your preparation because you don't get another shot at this until next year. So, stay focused, stay hungry and continue to forge on the path that you're forging on. If you don't win, then you got to hear about it for the rest of the year. That was my big thing that I remember as a player. You got to make sure you do things right because, if not, [Hickman] is going to let you know it every time that they see you,” Gaines said. “The team that keeps their head is going to win the game because emotions are high. Emotions are going to be high all night. [Hickman] would love nothing more than to be 3-1 coming out of Friday night, and on our end, we're hungry for our first win.”

Battle will host Hickman on its home turf on Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.