Wednesday night's game between St. Ed's and the Green Wave of Fisher will not only be a battle for a winning record, but for life in the playoffs.
After both teams lost Sunday, St. Ed's and Fisher now find themselves in a must-win situation for a playoff berth.
To secure the win, Fisher captain Tom Gorman believes that his team's running defense will need to continue its intensity in order to stop the improved St. Ed's offense.
Gorman also expects the offensive line to maintain its dominance.
"We are going out to finish strong," Gorman said. "Although we have beaten St. Ed's the past two years, St. Ed's looks a lot stronger this year and we are taking this game seriously."
To challenge St. Ed's, the Green Wave are anticipating another strong performance from Kameron Chappell and Andrew Pfister.
Just the same, Fisher won't overlook the St. Ed's ability to move the ball and play solid defense.
St. Ed's team captain Kevin McNamara attributed Sunday's loss to the team's lack of execution and inability to take advantage of several opportunities to win the game.
To secure the win, St. Ed's will have to rely upon its balanced strength on both sides of the ball.
"Our ability to run the ball and play solid defense allows our team to control the game," McNamara said.
McNamara believes the team's improvements in organization, dedication and desire to win will make the team tough to beat.
"We aren't a flashy team. But we do the things we need to do in order to win," McNamara said.
The two rivals will face each other tonight at 7 p.m. on the Riehle fields. Fisher, St. Ed's face off in must-win game for final playoff spot
Siegfried vs. Carroll
Defending champion Siegfried takes on Carroll Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. at west Riehle field. Although its over two-year long undefeated streak has been broken, Siegfried remains in the No. 2 spot in the league, directly behind Knott.
Tonight's game will be the last of the regular season and affects each team's playoff entry and seeding.
The Ramblers have been using practice to work on their defense, which proved to be their weakest point this season.
"We've really been working on defensive tackling, trying to cover the other team's quarterback, and we've gotten over it, I think," said tackle Matt Sallon.
Although Carroll has only won one game, Siegfried isn't looking past this game into the postseason.
"We realize that to get into playoffs we need to get past Carroll; just worry about ourselves first then let things fall where they may," Sallon said.
Carroll comes into tonight's game with one win and two losses, standing in 5th place in the Blue League.
Unless they win tonight, the Vermin have no chance of making it to the playoffs. This contest, therefore, is crucial to their hopes to continue playing after the break.
Although Siegfried's approach to interhall is among the most serious in the league, the players haven't forgotten how to have fun on the field.
"We know the season's so short, so every game means that much more, and we're excited to play under that lights, it brings back some old high school memories," said Sallon.
With each team's hopes riding on tonight's game, it's sure to be a worthwhile contest.
