PREP FOOTBALL: CBA, Rosewood renew Little River Rivalry

By Aviel Smolka
Published in Sports on August 17, 2018 5:51 AM

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By AVIEL SMOLKA

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The opening night of football season can feel a lot like Christmas.

And there's no better gift to unwrap than watching Rosewood and Charles B. Aycock renew their Little River Rivalry tonight at Branch Pope Field.

Kickoff is 7 p.m.

It's the eighth consecutive season that the Golden Falcons and Eagles have opened against each other. CBA has won 12 straight in the series and 27 of 37 meetings overall since 1975.

Golden Falcons head coach Steve Brooks fully understands what the rivalry is about and never assumes that Rosewood will be an easy win. He makes sure the players understand as well.

"Rosewood has a tremendous team, especially this season they're a well-oiled machine, very put together," Brooks said. "They realize how big Friday night is. It's the first time I think I've ever seen my kids look at their season as a one-game schedule."

Rosewood head coach Robert Britt is not discouraged by his team's losing streak in the series. He believes his squad has put in enough work during the offseason to finally topple CBA.

"We're excited for the opportunity [to play CBA], with a bunch of kids coming back this year we should be able to be competitive with them," Britt said. "The fact that these kids grew up playing football against each other in the youth programs it's not hard to get them excited about this game."

It's unknown who the Golden Falcons will start at quarterback.

Sophomore Clay Matthews, junior Alijuan Moore and sophomore Kaden Jones each present a unique challenge to Rosewood. Matthews can rely on his instinct and athletic ability, while Moore has the capability of escaping the pocket and getting free outside. Jones likes to sit back and see what happens.

The Eagles will counter with two-way threat Michael Reid, who has guided the Eagles to 15 wins during his three-year varsity career. The agile running back lost his offensive line to graduation.

Turnovers and explosive plays could determine the outcome.

"It's a fun game to be a part of because you know the stadium is going to be packed," Brooks said. "If you can't get up to play this game, then you probably don't need to play football."