Storied Northside, Warner Robins rivalry gears up for Friday night clash

The Northside and Warner Robins high school football rivalry began in 1964, and the latest installment takes center stage Friday night.

Here are five things to note:

A NATIONAL RIVALRY

People across the country pay attention to the game, considering the quality venue, overflow crowds and scores of big-name players. It's part of the Great American Rivalry series, presented by the Marine Corps, with the winner getting hardware from the group, and a game MVP and top student-athlete from each school will be named. Entering the Great American Rivalry Hall of Fame at halftime will be running back James Brooks from Warner Robins and longtime statistician Tom Walmer from Northside.

CHECK OUT THE NEW CARPET

A year ago, the Demons and Eagles got dirty when playing at home. No more. McConnell-Talbert Stadium got new turf during the offseason, with "Demons" in one end zone and "Eagles" in the other. Friday night is almost a christening of that much-discussed turf. But it will have a somber note as well. Before the game, Warner Robins will honor former boys basketball coach and ex-McConnell-Talbert field caretaker Chip Malone, who died Oct. 2. Demons players will wear a white helmet sticker bearing the initials "CM."

LEGEND AND SUPER BOWL ALUM TO VISIT

Brooks, one of Warner Robins' all-time greats, will be on hand to represent the NFL and the Super Bowl. The NFL is celebrating the 50th year of the Super Bowl, and it includes Super Bowl players presenting their alma mater with an NFL Gold Football signed by the player. Brooks played from 1974-76 and is second on the school's all-time rushing list with 4,750 yards,. The Demons went 2-1 against the Eagles in that span, and 31-2 overall under a young head coach named Robert Davis.

WHO JOINS THE LIST OF LEGENDS?

Rivalry games are made for a non-headline player to make headlines, or for somebody to come up with the play that folks won't forget. Last year, then-senior Willie Jordan ran for 249 yards for Northside, and then-sophomore quarterback Tobias Oliver gained control of the offense in the second half to keep the Demons from getting the lead.

FIGHT SONGS AND A FULL HOUSE

McConnell-Talbert has seating for about 7,900 fans, and close to double that number will be on hand for evening-long battles of the bands, the smell of tailgating from packed parking lots and a battle between a pair of old-school programs with respected veteran head coaches in Bryan Way of Warner Robins and Kevin Kinsler at Northside.

This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 6:50 PM with the headline "Storied Northside, Warner Robins rivalry gears up for Friday night clash ."