In football, it’s been said, there are friendly rivalries, and then there are rivalries.

“This is a rivalry,” Leeds coach Keith Etheredge said, anticipating the Green Wave’s visit to Moody at 7 p.m. today.  “We’ve had this date circled on our calendar since last year after the game.”

The Green Wave is seeking to avenge its narrow, first-ever loss to Moody last season and approaches the game as the top-ranked Class 3A team in the state, having edged past No. 2 Handley, 14-13, to claim the Region 3 crown last Friday.  The Blue Devils hope to rebound from a 56-14 pounding by Chelsea, their tenth straight loss.

But Etheredge says he’s taking nothing for granted.

“I guarantee we’ll be playing harder (tonight) than anybody’s ever seen us play.  We’ve got to get them back for last year, and we’ll do everything we can to come out with a win.  People may say there’s not a lot of meaning to it or that we need to get ready for the playoffs, but we’re going to walk into that game like it was the state championship.  That’s how important it is to us.”

Handley’s 13 points are the most scored against Leeds in a single game the season.  The Green Wave’s defense has given up 46 points in nine games, good enough to be ranked first in Class 3A and among the top five defenses of all classifications.  

“That’s a tribute to our coaching staff,” Etheredge said.  “We have some great coaches who work together well and know what it takes to win football games.  And it’s also a tribute to our players doing what it takes to win football games.”

Leeds has secured home field advantage for at least the initial two rounds of state playoffs.  If the Green Wave wins against Greensboro in the first game on Nov. 5, Etheredge said he’d expect to host Clay County the following week.  

“If we’re still in it after that, we might have to travel for the third week.  That could very well be when we’ll see Handley again.  We’re banged up after last week, but that’s to be expected, and nothing eases up for us.  If we make it to the state championship game, this team will be the most battle-tested group of players I’ve ever coached.”

But for now, he said, nobody’s looking past Moody.

“We’ve got a score to settle with them, especially our kids who played last year.  They’re been looking forward to this game and talking about it ever since.”