CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — High school teams across Texas are excited because it's the first week of football games. We start Game Night South Texas on KRIS 6 with Gregory-Portland vs. Carroll. It's the Battle of the Bridge. The G-P Wildcats have come out on top the last 10 meetings, but the Carroll Tigers are looking to end that streak.
"Drew it up on the mirror in our bathroom and it's Carroll, Aug. 27, so we're counting down the days," said Gregory-Portland senior middle linebacker Tate Mitchell. "We're all ready for it."
It's a Coastal Bend rivalry that began in 1972 when Carroll won 32-23. While recent years have been in favor of Gregory-Portland, the Wildcats still know they can't take this one lightly.
"I just want to come out and hit," Mitchell said. "I think that's everybody. We want them all to be tough and we want to be tougher, so I think that's where it's going to come down to."
Carroll has a senior heavy roster with experience on both sides of the ball, and a defense that wants redemption.
"This defense this year we're going to mean and we're going to be ferocious," said said Carroll senior linebacker Aiden Ben-David. "We're going to take everything personal. Week by week we're going to take every week personal and it doesn't matter who our opponent is."
Carroll let the rivalry game slip away last season, falling 60-0. Head coach Cal Neatherlin hopes his guys learned from their mistakes and are prepared mentally.
"I want to see us compete and get after them. I mean be physical," said Neatherlin. "Be smart and play hard. Not create any turnovers, but just go in there with a mindset that we're going to get after them."
Gregory-Portland's four non-district games are not easy. The Wildcats lead off with Carroll before battling Laredo Alexander, Calallen and Veterans Memorial.
"You know we just got to get after it that first week," said Gregory-Portland football head coach Brent Davis. "Out non-district is very tough and we made it that way on purpose and looking forward to it to get better."
Both G-P and Carroll have playmakers to make this game a show and the physicality to spice things up in the trenches. Davis has this message for fans.
"Show up and be loud," Davis said.
Carroll and Gregory-Portland kick off the Battle of the Bridge rivalry on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 7:05 p.m. It's our live TV matchup of Game Night South Texas on KRIS 6.
