It's not often you get a clash of two breeds of cats in Week 1 of the high school football season.
The Capital Cougars and Princeton Tigers are scheduled to meet at University of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Stadium at Laidley Field on Friday night in their first games of the season.
The Cougars have been dominant in the previous meetings between the two schools, as Capital has won seven of the 11 matchups.
However, the Tigers have taken each of the last three and four of the last five.
"I feel like our team has had a lot of growth from this offseason," Princeton coach Nathan Tanner said. "We did some flex practices during the late spring and a lot of work this summer. It's been new as I'm new to this program. So, it's teaching some of the philosophy, along with the schematics.
"I feel like our kids have picked up on it. We got a veteran-led team and have bought in quite well. Our kids have worked hard up to this point."
Princeton's defense will have its hands full come Friday evening, as the Tigers will be going against one of the top running backs in the Kanawha Valley in Capital's David Robinson Jr.
Robinson rushed for more than 1,700 yards and 15 touchdowns last season as a sophomore.
Tanner has preached to the Tigers that they have to be aware of what Robinson presents, especially in the open field.
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"The big thing you have to do is know where he is," Tanner said. "You have to locate him in the backfield. Based off our film study, he's a dynamic runner. I've also told our guys to have leverage on the football and rally to it.
"If you're not playing good team defense against somebody like that, he can hurt you with his explosive play. He can take it the distance at any moment."
The Cougars are coming off their third consecutive 3-7 season.
Coach Jon Carpenter enters his second season back at the helm after a three-year hiatus.
Carpenter, like Tanner, has been pleased with how his team has blossomed during the offseason in preparations for the Week 1 meeting.
That blossoming has gone hand-in-hand with the players understanding Carpenter and his staff's verbiage.
"It's a year of hearing the same language," Carpenter said. "It's hard. Hearing the same message every day makes things easier."
Carpenter was quick to compliment how Capital has grown together as a unit during the offseason, especially during fall camp.
"They've worked hard," Carpenter said. "I know everybody says that. It's got the same feeling now than what it did when I got the job 15 years ago. Kids will be in there [the locker room] eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches 30 minutes after practice. They're working out [together]. You can tell they like each other."
