Ali vs. Frazier. Cardinals vs. Cubs. Some European soccer team vs. some other European soccer team.

Epic battles in long-running rivalries. Not only do they inspire the players to dig a little deeper, they fire up fans beyond the norm.

Cape Girardeau Central vs. Jackson falls into that top tier of high-intensity showdowns. There won’t be a playoff spot on the line. Just bragging rights. But that’s more than enough.

This Friday night, Oct. 4, at Cape Central, the teams will again meet on the gridiron. They have played nearly 120 times. The most recent eight clashes, though, have all belonged to Jackson.

This year might be different.

The Tigers come into the matchup 5-0. Coach Kent Gibbs tallied his 200th career win last week, and the running attack is led by KeyShawn Boyd and Zai-Aire Thomas.

Jackson, 3-2, is coming off a crushing 57-9 win over Poplar Bluff. Jaylon Hampton scored five times and racked up 191 yards in that contest.

But the Indians are probably a slight underdog. Of course, that’s why they play the games on the field.

We know the players, coaches, fans, cheerleaders and bands will be ready. We will be, too.