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

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Fifteen stoplights is all that separates Columbia's two biggest rivals.

On Friday night, that 4.8-mile stretch of Providence Road will no longer divide them.

Rock Bridge (4-3) is preparing to complete a trip across town to face Hickman (6-1) in Week 8 of the high school football season.

The Bruins 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

Before writing the newest chapter of the Providence Bowl, Hickman clinched its best seven-game start to a season since 2012. The Kewpies have only lost to Helias, who's currently undefeated, through the first seven weeks of the campaign. With its 26-point win over Camdenton in its last outing, Hickman has scored at least 33 points in all six of its victories this year, creating a nightmare for opposing defenses to prepare for.

"I feel like whenever we line up and we run the ball right at you... that's whenever I think that we're at our best. We're saying, here we come. We'll come right at you. You know what formation we're in. We're not going to lie to you. Here it is, and we have to go out and execute," head coach Justin Conyers said. "I think, obviously, that is when we're at our best is running the football and that has been setting up the play action passes and the deep shots down the field."

Rock Bridge has responded to its first two-game losing streak in four years with back-to-back victories, outscoring its last two opponents by 120 combined points (127-7). Not only are the Bruins averaging nearly 54 points per game in their four victories, they have also allowed 16 points or less in five of their seven outings this year. Head Coach Matt Perkins credits his team's talent across the board on defense, from the front seven to the secondary.

"I don't think there's really a weakness with our defense," Perkins said. "They're playing phenomenal football, and situationally, they're good all the time. If it's a run down, we're doing a really good job of spilling things and letting our linebackers scrape over the top and make plays. If it's a pass down. We've got probably the best defensive end in the state in Matt Gass wreaking havoc."

Friday's game will feature an emotionally-charged atmosphere. Rock Bridge has won its last 13 meetings with Hickman, including shutout victories in three of its last four rivalry games. However, the Kewpies are focused on earning their first win over the Bruins in 13 years.

The Providence Bowl is a unique rivalry because the student-athletes on both sides often grow up alongside each other, making this game all about bragging rights. The key to victory is not getting too caught up in the game's emotions.

"When I first got here, I didn't realize how much these guys knew each other. It's not just football in junior high. It's CFL that they're seeing each other. They're playing each other in basketball over the years. They're seeing each other at track, and they're playing baseball against each other," Perkins said. "I feel like we've beat ourselves every time we've lost, and so, we really want to make this week about us and trying to do that throughout the week of practice. Don't make it about Hickman. Don't make it about the purple school. Try to make it about us getting better. I feel like if we do that, we've got a really good shot, but it's hard to do when you're playing against a rival, and man, they are definitely the rival."

"It's obviously a prideful thing right now," Conyers said. Last year, getting blown out by Rock Bridge 58-7, it was not what we expected, not what we wanted for our program. So, obviously, we remember that, and for the last 365 days, that's been something that's in the back of your head... I think everybody in central Missouri wants to know what this matchup is going to be about on Friday night, and so, you got to embrace this. We got to get our kids to be able to settle in quickly and not play with super high emotions."

This year's Providence Bowl also has postseason implications. Currently, Hickman and Rock Bridge are ranked third and fifth in the five-team Class 6 District 6 standings, based on points. The top three seeds in the tournament will receive a bye in quarterfinals, and the No. 4-seed will serve as the host for the opening round. With just two games left in the regular season, everyone is fighting for positioning to create the most optimal path to a district championship.

"It's pivotal, this last-third of your season for both programs involved, because, a loss here, a loss there, it can shift the points enough to where you go from having that Week 10 Bye to having to have a play-in type game. It really is that close of a margin," Conyers said. "It's us three right there. We're fighting. We're fighting for that third seed, right? That's the seed that we really want to earn so that we get a chance to have a bye, get two weeks to prepare."

"It's a big deal. I think if we win out, then we'd probably end up hosting a game and that would be really, really big for us. Another night for our kids to not have to travel. Another dose of normalcy," Perkins said. "We got to try to get better this week, and hopefully, give ourselves a chance to have one more [game at Rock Bridge]."

Kickoff from Alumni Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m.