It’s called the Battle of the Bridge, this Leeds versus Moody high school rivalry.

Located in adjacent communities, the two schools are but a few miles apart, Leeds the older institution by 67 years.

Treats of passion, intensity and pageantry infuse football games between the schools, this year played at Leeds.

“Yeah, it’s a big game,” said Leeds coach Jerry Hood. “Moody’s got a great team and it’ll be a challenge for us, for sure. It’s great that this game is this big for our two communities on this side of town. We’re excited.”

Leeds has a 13-2 advantage in the series, played sporadically since 1982, and one of those Moody wins came from a 2011 forfeit after the Green Wave won 44-0 on the field. Moody’s only other win was 7-6 in 2009.

None of that diminishes the anticipation between the two Class 5A ranked opponents in Region 6.

“It’s going to be a fun atmosphere,” said Moody coach Jake Ganus. “It’s good for high school football, border town. It’s a big rivalry and you want to win.”

Fifth-ranked Moody (7-1, 4-0) has been beset with injuries, including 4-star defensive back and Auburn commit A’Mon Lane, who won’t return for another few weeks, hopefully. The Blue Devils did get defensive back Chase Jackson back from injury last week.

The remainder of the defense is stout, allowing only 11 points a game.

In addition to Jackson, key defenders include the front seven of linebackers Zane Smith, Gavyn Baker and Baroc Willis, a freshman who just earned his first Division I offer from Ole Miss, and linemen Cam Mallory and Logan Hall. AJ Madison and 3-star Sidney Walton handle back end duties.

“Because of injuries, we’ve shuffled, moved guys around, played different defenses, played different fronts, coverages.” Ganus said. “They’ve handled it like soldiers and they’re doing a great job. The credit goes to our staff and those kids. They’re doing a phenomenal job.”

Leeds’ defense is no slouch. The ninth-ranked Green Wave (5-2, 3-1) allows 16 points a game, headed by a ferocious defensive line.

Arkansas commit and 4-star Kavion Henderson along with Chris Burge and Joseph Stone are formidable on the line while linebackers Miles Jones, Will Ford and Josh Lee and defensive back Reece Bittner are also key.

“We got to play great defense starting with the defensive line,” Hood said. “And I think our defensive backfield needs to play pretty good cause they can throw it around a little bit.”

Both offenses are centered around strong quarterback play and good running backs, but other skill players allow big-play potential.

Moody has 3-star quarterback Charlie Johnston and 3-star back Blaine Burke, who’s an Arkansas State commit and averages eight yards a carry, while Leeds counters with Conner Nelson at quarterback and running backs ZJ Dale and Grayson Ford.

Brennan King and Jaxon Huckeba lead the Moody offensive line while Carlos Plascencia is the Leeds bell cow.

Moody receivers KD Barnes, Braden Wright and Aidan Robinson provide good targets while Leeds’ Taylon Gaiter is dangerous in space, particularly in the return game.

The black and white of statistics and rankings matter little when the high emotion of competing against neighboring players reigns over teenagers.

“The key is handling the motions that come with it.” Ganus said. “You can say all you want about it being just the next game, but you got to live it. You can’t just preach it and if your actions aren’t backing it up, like if you’re changing practice, how long are you out there. I think for us it’s just making it about us. That’s been our thing, just focus on what we do well and do it better.”