The Strauss-Stallings Trophy is weathered and worn, a throwback to older times when St. Joseph was located in Jackson and a rivalry between it and St. Aloysius began in 1952.

Now the school is located in Madison, changed its nickname from the Rebels to the Bruins and moved up to Class 2A, but the changes have done little to cool passions between the two old Catholic school rivals, meeting for the 47th time.

Madison-St. Joe makes a trip tonight to face a St. Aloysius team coming off what coach B.J. Smithhart called the biggest win of his career, a 20-14 overtime thriller over Greenville-St. Joe.

A win tonight would allow the Flashes (2-1) to keep the Strauss-Stallings Trophy in their case for another season and give them three wins in a row over their archrivals since the series ended a six-year hiatus in 2007. St. Al leads the series 31-15 after winning last year’s meeting 24-17 in Madison.

Getting his charges motivated for a rivalry game like this one isn’t a tough job, said Smithhart. Adding fuel to the fire is the chance for St. Aloysius to be unofficial archdiocese champions, since it plays all of the Jackson Archdiocese high schools  — Greenville-St. Joe, Madison-St. Joe and Cathedral — this season.

Smithhart said that winning that title, albeit unofficial, was one of the team’s big goals this season. 

“It’s pretty easy,” Smithhart said of getting his team motivated. “These kids know how much it means to people, especially Coach (Jimmy) Salmon and they’ll want to win it for them. You’ve got to get these games. We have another goal and that is to be diocese champs. We played Greenville, Madison and Cathedral this year and we’ve got a chance to do it.”

St. Joe (1-1) won’t be an easy mark. The Bruins are led by do-everything offensive dynamo Stephen Cofer. He rushed 11 times for 116 yards and scored the winning touchdown in a 14-7 win over St. Andrew’s last week.

Smithhart said the Bruins are good at moving Cofer around in their double-wing offense so defenses can’t key on him. He could line up at running back, under center or flanked out wide. He also will be returning kicks.

“They’ve got a star player in Stephen Cofer that they’re going to get the ball to,” Smithhart said. “Our goal is to not let him beat us. They go through him. When they don’t use him, they’re decoying him, so they play off him well.”

Offensively, the Flashes are clicking on all cylinders. They lit up the Irish for 327 yards, with Ryno Martin-Nez picking up 115 on the ground.

The key is up front, Smithhart said. Teams tend to make their biggest strides in the second year of running an offense and Smithhart said his charges not only understand, but believe in what they’re trying to accomplish. The work of the line has made quarterback Regan Nosser’s job all the easier.

“Up front, we’re doing a really good job,” Smithhart said. “They’re doing better and better and they’re getting after it. They’re kind of on the attack now and that just comes from playing. They’re seeing some good things. Regan (Nosser) has done a good job each week. He’s running the offense and he’s cut out the turnovers.”

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Contact Steve Wilson at swilson@vicksburgpost.com