Rock Bridge at Hickman: SportsZone Football Friday Game of the Week

Watch a livestream of the game in the webplayer above.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Hickman will host Rock Bridge on Friday night in a Columbia cross-town rivalry as part of Week 8 of the high school football season. The Bruins are looking to secure their third straight win while the Kewpies are still searching for their first victory of the season.

The Bruins and the Kewpies are our KZOU game of the week. You can watch the game live on KZOU over the air channel 17.3 at 7 p.m. and online at www.abc17news.com. 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

The Providence Bowl has been dominated by Rock Bridge over the last decade. The Kewpies have not defeated the Bruins since Nov. 2, 2012. Despite the rivalry being recently one-sided, it's a game that still means a lot to both football programs.

"I really like the intensity behind it. I like the fans bringing some hatred along. It's kind of fun. We don't want them wearing purple over here this week, that's for sure," Rock Bridge head coach Matt Perkins said.

"This is one of those games it doesn't take much to get the kids motivated," Hickman head coach Cedric Alvis said. "It hasn't been all that difficult to get guys fired up, so that's probably the luxury of playing a rivalry."

The Rock Bridge defense has held opponents to an average of 15.6 points per game. The Bruins have also forced plenty of turnovers recently, including a pick-six from Grayson Cutchlow last week against Battle.

"He's a lot of fun. The talent is obviously there. He's having a season for the ages. He's been incredible," Perkins said about Cutchlow. "Those guys have bought into everything [defensive coordinator Ethan Smith] is doing on that side of the field, and they bring really good energy to practice. They play really hard."

Hickman enters the game averaging 18.7 points per game, and Alvis credited his team's development throughout the season.

"It's awesome. We switched offenses this season, so the kids have been learning different things. A lot of kids have been playing multiple positions," Alvis said. "That's really been the cool thing -- to watch them kind of grow as the season has gone on."

Both Perkins and Alvis agree that winning the turnover battle will be a critical part of a victory in the Providence Bowl.

"We have to do a great job of holding on to the football. [Rock Bridge] does a phenomenal job as a defense of forcing teams to turn the ball over," Alvis said.

"Taking care of the football. You don't want to turn the ball over. You don't want to give them extra possessions," Perkins said. "Our defense right now has been on the field too long, so we've had too many three-and-outs, so hopefully we can get some drives going."

Kickoff for Friday night's matchup between Rock Bridge and Hickman is scheduled for 7 p.m.