Friday night marks the beginning of Indiana’s High School Football Season…and the end of an era in Elkhart.

A football game between Elkhart Central and Elkhart Memorial never suffers from a lack of enthusiasm on either side of the field. But the season-opening tilt between the two rivals promises to be one for the ages, no matter what the final score.

It’s the last Battle for the Mangy Lion, the final regular season contest of the Chargers-Blue Blazers rivalry before the two schools merge ahead of the 2020 school year.

Central hosts the game at Rice Field, coming off a big win in last year’s game. They lead the all-time series with 27 wins to Memorial’s 20.