by Hakem Dermish
NBC 4
09-14-2007

WASHINGTON -- On Friday, Seneca Valley (1-0) and Northwest (0-1) renew their rivalry. The ninth meeting for the King's Trophy should prove to be just as good as the last.

Northwest prevailed 21-19 over Seneca Valley in the Germantown tilt. The last four games in this rivalry have been decided by seven points or less.

I talked with both teams on Tuesday, and they are extremely confident and both expect victory. Seneca Valley's Alex Betancourt said, "We got it." Northwest's Matthew Logeman countered, "We're a more intelligent team."

Trash talking aside, this is a heavyweight matchup. Northwest is just three years removed from winning a state championship, and Seneca Valley is a perennial state title contender. The Screamin' Eagles boast a record 12 state championships.

In week one, Northwest's offense sputtered while Seneca Valley's rolled. The Jaguars lost to Whitman, 9-6 -- a team they beat last year by 37 points. Seneca Valley scored a 41-20 victory over Watkins Mill.

Fred Kim and the Screamin' Eagles will travel just two and half miles down Great Seneca Highway on Friday night where they'll meet first-year head coach Andrew Fields and his Northwest Jaguars at what is knows as "The Black Hole."

Apparently, this place is an advantage -- Northwest is 3-1 at home in the Battle For Germantown.