GREENDALE, WI — It's a Fall Friday and that means high school football teams around Wisconsin will be looking for a win heading into the weekend.
And for two Milwaukee County teams, this week is personal.
Watch: Teams get ready for Battle of the Greens.
It's rivalry week for Greenfield and Greendale high schools. The annual game is often called "the Battle of the Greens" and it means a lot to the athletes in the two neighboring communities.
TMJ4 reporter Brendyn Jones visited both schools and talked to athletes about what the game means to them.
"It’s electric," said Landon Lopez, Greendale's senior quarterback. "Everyone in the school is just super focused, and everyone is super hyped for the game, last year it was the best game we ever played it was super cool."
His teammate and close friend, Greysen Doersching, who plays center, has a singular focus — despite the fact that it's homecoming weekend at Greendale. The week has been filled with events and there will be a pep rally before the game. But Doersching says his focus is solely on the field.
"During the week, my favorite part of the week is always the football game so homecoming is just on Friday so that’s always what I used to stay focused," Doersching said.
But over at Greenfield, they've felt the importance of this game. After losing for a couple of years in a row, senior linebacker Kenny Jerzy is excited to try and spoil Greendale's homecoming.
The tight-knit community shares a lot of links, so this game comes with a heightened level of familiarity.
"These are the same guys I’ve been playing with since I was 11/12 years old, so I think it’s a cool moment getting to play against these same guys," Jersey said. "But, at the end of the day, there are no friends on rivalry week so I think it’s really good for both communities, getting to have this competition between the two of us."
This game is My24 Milwaukee's Friday Night Rivals featured game of the week.
Coverage begins at 6:30 pm and kickoff is at 7:00 pm.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
