Scott James of Tallulah Academy runs through his teammates’ arm tackles during practice on Wednesday. The Trojans will battle Conference 5-A rival Briarfield Academy for the championship and Northeast Louisiana bragging rights on Friday night in Tallulah. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (The Vicksburg Post/Melanie duncan)

After nine weeks of blood, sweat, tears, and trampled opponents left in their wake, it’s all come down to three hours on Friday night for Briarfield and Tallulah Academy.

The winner claims bragging rights in the Northeast Louisiana rivalry and a Conference 5-A championship. The loser still makes the playoffs, but will start with a road game against a strong Prentiss team.

“I know it’s a clich, but you throw everything out for this game,” Tallulah coach Jacky Thames said. “It’s a classic, hard-nosed rivalry you don’t ever have to work up. It seems like it’s been in place since these schools were established.”

Few times, however, has there been so much on the line.

For Briarfield, there’s a place in history to be secured. The Rebels have beaten all comers this season, outscoring opponents 308-42 while compiling a 9-0 record. A win would complete the perfect season and earn this group of Rebels bragging rights as one of the best teams in school history.

“We definitely want to be 10-0 at the end of the season, but there are other reasons for wanting to win this game,” Briarfield coach Jay Murphree said.

Those reasons don’t include only the conference title, Murphree added. The conference champion will start the playoffs next week with a home game against a Tri-County team that has struggled to a 3-5 record this season.

The loser earns the No. 2 seed from the conference and faces Conference 4-A champion Prentiss (8-1) on the road.

“Here we go looking at teams that we don’t know a whole lot about. But you can bet that No. 1 in District 4 is a little bit stronger than No. 2,” Thames said, adding that his own conference was tough on its own merits. “There are a couple of other teams that are down there fighting for wild cards. (Conference 5-A) is really a strong district, and I hope some of us make some headway in the playoffs.”

No matter what order Tallulah and Briarfield finish in, they’ll give teams fits in the playoffs.

Both teams feature powerful running games and strong defenses. Briarfield is averaging nearly 300 rushing yards per game, while Tallulah is led by 1,100-yard rusher Cade Marsh. Defensively, the teams have allowed only 108 points combined.

Although it’s no secret that Briarfield plans to run the ball, stopping the Rebels’ ground attack is easier said than done. The Rebels don’t pass much, but use a variety of backs, formations and plays to keep defenses off-balance.

“Nobody’s figured them out yet. The more you watch film, you see they mix it up more than you think,” Thames said. “Their strength seems to be executing. They just run their plays real well.”

Tallulah doesn’t have as many featured backs, but uses the tandem of Marsh and Cole Grissom, as well as a punishing defense to pound opponents. Britt Grady, William Weeks and Clay Morgan each have more than 70 tackles this season, and junior Scott James has eight sacks to his credit.

“All of them have got real good speed,” Murphree said.

The matchup has loomed all season, but it wasn’t until Tallulah beat Humphreys last week that its status as a championship game was secured.

Murphree said he’s been expecting it to come down to this week for a while, however.

“After about midseason, probably both teams did,” expect to meet for the title, Murphree said. “I feel like we are the two best teams in the district, and we’ve proved it through the year.”