ROCKTON — Hononegah head coach Brian Zimmerman would love to keep his cuticles intact this weekend, but he knows that showdowns against Rockford Boylan often turn into nail-biters.
With the Indians and Titans both heading into Friday night at 5-1 and in a tie with Harlem for second place in the NIC-10 with Harlem, this year’s edition should prove to be no different.
“We’ve had some really tight games in the last six or so years where frequently it’s just a field goal that separates who wins or loses,” the 10th-year head coach said. “I don’t know if it’s because of the fact that they’re fairly close to us. We do have players that live in our district and attend Boylan and play on their football team. We’ve seen them at the junior tackle level and then they made a transfer over there. So, some of our team is familiar with some of their athletes.”
Whatever the reason, Zimmerman knows that his squad needs to be on its toes when it kicks off at Kelsey Field at 7:15 p.m.
“We always have a lot of respect for Boylan’s coaching staff,” he added. “Their defense is always stout, (their) linebackers will come up and hit you, and they usually have a decent defensive line.”