By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The annual gridiron battle between the Abilene Cowboys and Chapman Fighting Irish has been known by many names over the years.
The Battle for Dickinson County, the oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi, or just good old-fashioned hate week.
Since 1892, these two schools, separated by just 11 miles, have met 130 times, and to the two communities they represent, no game means more.
“This game is big,” Abilene head coach Brad Nicks said. “Chapman is a stone's throw away from us and this is what high school football is all about. Our guys have taken a lot of pride in their preparation and we’re playing for our community and for everyone who’s ever put on the Abilene jersey.”
A season ago, the Cowboys snapped a four-game losing streak in the series by earning a 28-6 win in Abilene, and Chapman will be hungry to do the same in front of the Irish faithful this time around.
“This is a week that we’re always extremely motivated for,” Fighting Irish head coach Kurt Webster said. “This game means something more to this town and this community and we’re eager to show out on Friday night. No matter the records this game is always a very hotly contested competition and we’ll be ready for a great game on Friday.”
One of the biggest question marks surrounding this matchup comes on the Abilene side at quarterback, where Stocton Timbrook remains a game-time decision after an early exit against Clay Center a week ago.
Should Timbrook be unable to play, the Cowboys would turn to Aaron Hartman or Heath Hoekman to take the reigns of an offense that has enough veteran leadership to overcome such a loss if needed.
“Two years ago all of these guys were playing as freshmen and sophomores and as we’ve gotten older we’ve also matured a lot,” Nicks said. “These guys have continued to work and stay positive and I’m so proud of them for that.”
Meanwhile, on the Chapman side of things, ball security will be the biggest focal point for a team that has lost eight fumbles through the first three weeks of the season.
“We need to be more assignment sound and execute better,” Webster said. “When you’re playing some guys that are getting their first varsity reps they don’t understand why the little things are important until they see it. We just need to be physical and be us, there was no magic to our five-year run we just executed well and played within ourselves.”
While the Cowboys will enter this contest as favorites at 2-1 to Chapman’s 1-2, anyone who has ever watched a game in this series knows that all pretext goes out the window the second these two kick things off.
“You throw the records out in a game like this and we’ve been preaching that to our kids,” Nicks said. “They’ve gotten a lot better each week and Chapman is still replacing some kids from last year. They have some really good linemen and their quarterback is only a sophomore but he makes good reads and he can really throw it. We’ll have to be on top of our game on Friday.”
While the Irish will be looking to snap a two-game skid, this opportunity will come in front of a green wave, as Chapman returns home for the first time since their 14-13 win over Concordia in week one.
“When we play at home against Abilene the atmosphere is incredible,” Webster said. “The stands are packed on both sides and it’s a cool experience for the community and for the players. Our crowd helps boost and encourage us and we’re hoping to get that again on Friday.”
Kickoff between the Irish and Cowboys is scheduled for 7:00 and the game will be broadcast for free on the Salina Post with live audio and video coverage.
To tune in for this game follow the link HERE.