SportsZone Football Friday Game of the Week Preview: Hickman at Rock Bridge
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Two Columbia schools renew their rivalry with bragging rights on the line.
The Kewpies and Bruins are our SportsZone Football Friday Game of the Week. You can watch the game live over the air on 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
When it comes to mid-Missouri football, few games draw eyes quite like the Providence Bowl. This has been the staple rivalry for the Columbia crown for decades. In last year's game, the Kewpies came out on top for the first time since 2012.
"I don't think it went the way any of us thought it would go," said Hickman coach Justin Conyers. "Such a defensive ball game, 13-10 win for us. First time since 2012 that we had beat Rock Bridge. So of course there is a lot of pride in this football game, and that's what it means. It's all about pride."
"Everything's ramped up a little bit," said Rock Bridge coach Matt Perkins. "From intensity from the coaches to the team meals, to all other things. Everything's just a little bit more dialed in."
Coming off of last year's victory, most teams would feel added pressure hoping to not slip back to the previous pattern. But for the Kewpies, they still feel as though they are the underdogs heading into week eight.
"Even with what has happened over the course of the past decade, I think the pressure is still on them," said Conyers. "They're the ones that are highly talked about, it's always about how many athletes they have, all the Division one football players, so we embrace this piece."
After a loss on the road against Camdenton a week ago, coach Conyers has been stressing how pivotal this game is, not just for the rivalry, but for the grand scheme of the season.
"You have a point where it could either go really good or really bad. These last two opponents are extremely tough with Rock Bridge in eight and Lift for Life in week nine."
Both teams enter the game with high powered offenses. Rock Bridge scored more than 70 points last time out, but is expecting a tougher test lined up against them.
"I feel like the matchup is a unique one for us," said Perkins. "They're very long on the back end, they're very physical, they've got good team speed, so match ups are a challenge this week."
While Hickman is preparing like underdogs with a chip on its shoulder, the Bruins are taking a more focused approach. Coach Perkins is preaching a 'next play mentality' to keep the focus on the game as opposed to the history.
"You got to preach that next play mentality all the time in football, but this week probably even more so. If we're going to do something really well on Friday night, we can't just say 'well we've got them.' You've got to come back and play the next play like it's your last play."
Rock Bridge will host Hickman for the 2026 edition of the Providence Bowl on Friday, Oct. 16. Kick off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
