River Ridge and Mitchell clash in the annual 'Battle Royale': 3 things to know

The Mustangs have owned the series as of late, winning seven straight; Royal Knights have not beaten Mitchell since 2015

Mike Carlson

It's been over eight years since the last time the River Ridge Royal Knights (6-0) defeated its rivals, the Mitchell Mustangs (6-0).

August 28th, 2015 to be exact is the last time the Royal Knights upended the Mustangs, a 10-7 victory.

Since then its been for the most part utter domination by Mitchell in the series dubbed the 'Battle Royale', which has become arguably a must-see game on the west side of Pasco County.

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Needless to say this would be the first time the two teams meet so late in the season and are both undefeated, raising the stakes just a little higher for the two rivals. When you take a look at how both teams got here, you'd say there's differing tales to the tape.

High School On Si Florida gives you three things you should know ahead of the big time North Suncoast tilt between the two rivals:

1. Mitchell's offense has been hard to tame

Mitchell quarterback Cayden Thomas against Hudson in the spring of 2024 / Pop's of Da Rap's

We've been talking about the Mitchell offense all season long and sounding like the broken record we are on this topic, we bring it up again. Well, because if anything else, we can count on the Mustangs pouring in the points throughout an evening. Andy Schmitz's offensive unit is averaging 39 points per game and there's been a plethora of contributors along the way. The catalyst has been quarterback Cayden Thomas, who has thrown for 1,327 yards and 11 touchdowns this fall. Thomas' group of receivers have been stellar, with Bryce Backus (17 catches, 329 yards) and RJ Peabody (21 catches, 473 yards) being the top two targets. We can't forget the play of junior dynamo Corey Simms out of the backfield, with the running back so far rushing for 740 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns. This offense just keeps getting it done and they'll need to one more time against a telented River Ridge defense that's only yielding 13.6 points per game.

2. River Ridge has played almost every contest close to the vest

River Ridge defeated Land O' Lakes in Week 1 21-20 / Mike Carlson

Now we say this with River Ridge coming off a 63-0 thumping of Counryside, but looking at the first few games for the Royal Knights, Fred Reid has definitely led his bunch to some tight wins. Victories over Land O' Lakes, Steinbrenner, Wesley Chapel Cypress Creek and Fivay were all by a combined 20 points, leaving very little room for error. Now this bodes well that Reid's crew know how to win when it comes to a tight game, but they haven't trailed very much in any of those wins, either. That could happen tonight against a high-scoring Mitchell squad and going blow for blow could be a difficult task for an offense looking more to slow the game down. If the game comes down to the final possessions, look at River Ridge's experience in these situations already.

3. Can't underscore the game atmosphere this event attracts

When Mitchell and River Ridge meet, it's not a game that atrracts hundreds. It is a event that lures thousands to wherever the contest is being played at. This time around it'll be at the Jim Valentine Sports Complex, with folks taking the long walk over to the stadium and hearing the chants come from either the Purple Posse or Stang Gang all evening long. Regardless of where either team is at win-loss wise, the game rivals just any in the region when it comes to fanfare. We underscore how much of a vibe it is when these two teams clash.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl