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WINTERSVILLE -- The annual clash between Brooke and Indian Creek will be played tonight, making the battle between old foes take center stage with the eyes of the Valley squarely on Kettlewell Stadium.
The matchup pre-dates Indian Creek and goes back to Brooke taking on Wintersville High School, which adds to the fun for both sides.
"Anybody that has been around the Ohio Valley knows there is quite a bit of history between these two communities," Brooke head coach Mac McLean said. "In recent years we've played some good match ups and I think this is going to be another good one."
"It's great for the program, it's exciting for the kids," Indian Creek coach Andrew Connor said of being in a Thursday game. "We're going to use it as motivation to play our best.
"It's special for the players when they're playing somebody where their parents can remember a game against that same opponent, or a relative can remember a game from the past … anytime there's that added motivation, it makes the game that much more special."
The teams are coming off of very different games.
Brooke, on one hand, is coming off of a dominant performance against Ripley to open the season with a win at home.
Despite the big win, there were still things McLean hoped to see get cleaned up this week in practice.
"It's always good to get a lopsided win, but I've been pounding into the players' heads they were a little careless with the ball," McLean said. "There are mistakes we have to clean up. We played a good game, our defense was outstanding, but on the offensive side of the ball and special teams there were some miscues we have to get rid of."
Accomplishing that will be on a compressed schedule with one less day to prepare.
"It's tough being on a short turnaround, but the team we're playing is on a short turnaround, too," McLean said. "It definitely makes the week fly by, that's for sure."
Creek, he knows, will be a challenge.
"They've got one of the best tailbacks in the Valley (Zion McGee), a quarterback that can hurt you with his legs and his feet (Zac Byard) and a defense that bends but doesn't break," McLean said. "They're a well-coached football team and a team that's going to be a worthy opponent."
On the flip side, Indian Creek dropped to 1-1 with a tough loss at East Liverpool in Week 2. The Redskins are also playing their first home game after opening with two games away from home.
"We've got to get back to running the football," Connor said of how they can bounce back. "We need to establish our running game and eliminate big plays on defense."
In that loss to the Potters, though, Connor challenged his team at halftime and it responded with a much better second half, which he hopes will carry over to tonight.
"One thing I'm very proud of is, after we challenged them to come out and play hard in the second half, and our kids played some inspired football in the second half of that game," he said. "It may not have shown on the scoreboard but we could tell on the film how hard they played until the end. That's something we're hoping to build on going into (tonight)."
He's also impressed by the Bruins.
"They're very balanced, they throw the ball well and they run the ball well," Connor said of Brooke. "They're a physical football team, they're well-coached. You can tell their disciplined in the way they play. They really asserted themselves early in their opener. They're an older team with a lot of seniors."