Ethan Holtzinger is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Williams Field High School for AZPreps365.com

In July of 2007, the Chandler Unified School District opened Perry High School.

Almost immediately afterward, the Higley Unified School District opened Williams Field High School just 15 minutes away, and an unspoken rivalry was born.

Seventeen years later, each matchup between the two schools, regardless of sport, still carries an extra bit of weight, and this week is no different.

The Williams Field Black Hawks will host Perry on Friday night in a 6A non-conference gam

Each school has seen its fair share of success since its inception, but the series is tied at 1-1 with Williams Field winning 35-11 in 2008 and Perry eeking out a 31-30 win last year. 

According to Black Hawks defensive coordinator Kelvin Hunter, Williams Field will be well prepared for a familiar opponent, and the goal will be a solid all-around performance from the whole team.

“We’re just looking to play together, play hard, play fast, and play four quarters,” Hunter said. “Perry’s been a good football program since they started, you know, we both opened together so we know a little bit about each other.

"Coach (Joe) Ortiz runs a good program over there, so we’re going to have to come out and play sound football, and if we can do that, hopefully we’ll get a W.”

Williams Field (3-4) currently ranks 23rd in state and 17th in division, while Perry (4-3) ranks 15th in state and 13th in division.

Although Perry sits higher in the rankings through seven games, averages for both teams tell a different story.

The Black Hawks offense has averaged almost 100 more yards per game (374.0 to 283.7) than the Pumas so far this season, and they’ve had to manage their last few games without starting quarterback Kody Guy, who they hope to have back in time for Friday night.

Black Hawks offensive coordinator Matthew Miller plans to focus on his offense’s intensity heading into the game.

“They’re a great football team,” Miller said. “They’ve got great athletes and a great coaching staff over there, so we know that we need to be prepared. We had a really close game last year, came down to the wire, and if we can match their intensity then I think we’ll have another good one this year that goes our way this time.”

Black Hawks head coach Steve Campbell believes that the outcome against Perry will depend the most on the little factors that contribute throughout the game.

“It’s about executing on all of the little things,” Campbell said. “In our last matchup against them, we missed an extra point in the fourth quarter, and we lost by one. It’s one or two plays in a game that make the biggest difference, and so we’re trying to learn how to manage those margins better. I know Coach Ortiz pretty well, our programs are pretty similar, and we always know that these games are going to be a battle.”

Ultimately, anything could happen on Friday night, as both teams look to get themselves back into the win column following consecutive losses over the last few weeks.