It has been 369 days since the whole town of Papillion met within the bricks of legendary Foundation Field. Everyone has wanted this moment for this moment for so long. But in a couple of hours, the Monarchs and the Titans take the field once again for the most anticipated game of the year.

The crosstown rivalry has been deeply rooted in Papillion’s roots. It dates all the way back to the year 2003.

“In my opinion, I feel that the rivalry between the two teams started when the South first opened their doors,” Junior Dallas Hamilton said.

Since its beginnings, the game affects everybody that is in attendance. For the players though, the game is truly more than just another game. 

“The game means a lot to me; not only is it bragging rights, but it proves to the town of Papillion and the metro who the best Papillion team is,” Hamilton said. “It is also a fun game to play in because you are playing against people you know, so it brings good memories.”

When going up to Papillion, every young kid dreams of the moment when they can take the field on a Friday night and play the Titans. For the players now, it is a dream come true.

“Playing in the game is the best part of it all,” Hamilton said. “The stadium is always full and loud, with the fans cheering and supporting their teams to see who is the top team, ans on the field it makes it seem like you aren’t just playing a regular season game, but almost like your playing in a state championship.”

Big games like this one require a lot of hard work and thinking. For South, they are preparing for the Monarch’s new play style, so for the Monarchs, there is a new approach to practice.

“We talk daily how we are going to improve the next day which I think flips the mindset of where we need to be for the next day,” Senior Braellin Morton said.

In the past week, everybody knows what is coming up. In result, the atmosphere surrounding practice has been taken up a couple of notches.

“It is usually more of an energetic practice to get the team prepared and ready for Friday night,” Morton said.

Every week, a team can prepare for every scenario that could happen in the game. But on every Friday night, the worst case scenario that a team didn’t practice always occurs. The Monarchs prepared for every situation though for this game.

“Nothing is going to be incredibly challenging because we have prepared for this moment, as it is just another game,” Hamilton said. “It just so happens to be our rivals.”

The one question that everybody wants to know; do the Monarchs have what it takes to beat the Titans?

“I believe this team has the ability to not only win, but win soundly,” Morton said. “ We have been working hard all offseason for this, not only that but this team has an absurd amount of chemistry. A lot of us have been playing with each other for our whole lives.”

The game starts at 7 tonight, so don’t be late. 369 days of waiting for the big kickoff tonight. The wait is finally over, so let’s get hype at tonight’s game and support the Monarchs in their battle tonight.