It's been quite a two-year run for the District 4 All-Star football game.
Two years ago, a fight broke out in the middle of the field, ultimately coming to an end and giving the North a 28-12 victory.
Last year's fireworks came in the closing seconds when the South decided to launch two long passing attempts with a 63-20 lead.
If a message was meant to be sent with those pair of passes, it was received, loud and clear, by the North, which appears to be taking tonight's game at South Williamsport's Rodney K. Morgans Stadium seriously.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
"I'm a competitive person and take it very seriously," said Loyalsock's Mike Kinney, a member of the North squad. "I'm working out hard for this because it means a lot to me. It's an All-Star game and it's the best of the best."
The annual game, sponsored by the South Williamsport's Lions Club, has been stuck in a back and forth pattern, meaning it's the North's turn to claim victory.
But the South, led by Lewisburg standout Cam Cassels and Warrior Run running back Austin Oberdorf, might have something to say about the alternating wins.
"A lot of players might have thought that at the end of the season it was their last game," Cassels said. "To have one more shot to play in a fun game and show your ability is going to be a good time."
"We're so pumped for Friday," Oberdorf said. "I can't wait to put the pads on."
The South has appeared to bond quickly, with the players organizing dinner trips after practice and holding a wing night after the final live day of practice.
"It's definitely an experience," Hughesville's Derek Earnest said. "I've had some of the most fun times of my life playing with these guys. There really isn't that awkward faze, because everybody knows what they are doing."
And besides bonding, the South appears to have been reading up on the game's history, with plenty mentioning the game's transformation from a fun all-star game to a rough and tumble contest played with passion.
Yes, both teams want to have a good time, but after speaking with the players throughout the week, they all want to win, badly.
"I was told throughout the past couple weeks that there have been a lot of fights in the games," Hughesville's Quentin Cooper said. "I'm not saying I'm looking forward to it, but I'm not saying I'm not looking forward to it."
Life has been just as demanding for the North, which was humiliated in last year's contest, being outscored 42-0 by halftime.
"I always have something to prove," Kinney said. "If I didn't, honestly I wouldn't be out here. Once you stop making goals, you stop being good."
Kinney, who wouldn't talk about his personal goals heading into the game, conveyed through his remarks a calm, but determined North side.
"It's great, everybody is cool," Kinney said. "One guy can't win the game and that's what we've all focused on."
For the players, it's all about getting comfortable with the team. For the coaches, it's a whole other issue, installing enough of a game plan to be effective, but not overly complicated.
"On the offensive side the ball, everybody is coming from different systems and getting an offense in place so the kids remember it can be tough," South head coach Andy Brown said. "The hardest thing has been getting the offense down and the terminology down."
The North's coach, Tony Confer, echoed those thoughts, saying, "With the coaches and the kids coming from different systems it takes a little time. We have a lot of smart football players and they picked things up quickly."
Offense always seems to be the question coming into the game. According to the rules, defenses run the same package and aren't allowed to blitz.
"Obviously being in an all-star everybody knows everybody, because these have been the guys leading their teams the last few years," Cassels said. "When you get to this level you realize you all get along well. Everybody picks things up quicker because it's an experienced group. It takes some time to get the timing down and get everybody on the same page, but it goes quickly."
