TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Battle of Meridian Road, a Tallahassee rivalry pitting neighbor against neighbor. It’s less than a 10-minute drive to get back and forth between both North Florida Christian and Maclay. And it’s our Friday Night Overtime Game of the Week.
The starts to both the Eagles and Marauders seasons have taken different paths. NFC sporting a 4-1record while Maclay sits at 1-2 looking to pick up a significant win to get them back on track. Come Friday night this game will be loaded with emotions, but both teams are keeping their composure and making sure they focus on what they can control in between the white lines.
“My coaches told us to just stay out of that. I guarantee you half of our players have already been there," said NFC wide receiver Traylon Ray. "You can’t let it get in your head. You just have to go out there and play.”
“That’s the first thing I told them, we’re not going to play with a bunch of emotions. We know the communities get involved in this," added Eagles head coach Brent Hill. "That’s good for the fans but for us, it’s all about business. And we have to focus on really paying ourselves.”
“You know I think we have a healthy rivalry. So it’s not like there’s hatred there. It’s a very professional rivalry. And there’s nothing wrong with that," Maclay head coach Lance Ramer said. "We just have to not let it get us out of our game and focus on us.”
“Personally we try jot to think about any of that stuff. We try to let our pads do the talking. But obviously, we’re a part of it so we’ll accept it for what it is,” added Marauders QB Michael Grant.
Our game of the week kicks off Friday at 7:30 p.m. from Maclay.
