PONCHY’S RUNNING MEN—Ponchatoula QB Eldrid Palmer, left, will be doing a lot of handing off to fullback Joseph Green during Friday’s District 7-5A rivalry match with Hammond at SLU.

In a new twist, Ponchatoula and Hammond will have more than bragging rights to play for when they meet in their annual rivalry Friday night in Strawberry Stadium.

Or at least the Green Wave will.

For Ponchatoula (4-4, 2-3), a playoff berth is on the line. The Green Wave comes in ranked 29th in the LHSAA power ratings, tied with Sulphur and .50 ahead of No. 32 Catholic-Baton Rouge.

"It's definitely an important week," Wave head coach Mike Baiamonte said. "My kids know how important it is. All the sacrifice and hard work they have put themselves through. We're going to go out Friday night and play a real sound football game and do our best to come away with a win."

For Hammond, the Tors (0-7, 0-6) can get their first victory of the season while wrecking the dreams of their cross-parish rivals. The Tors have dominated the rivalry lately, winning nine straight. Last year's 29-6 victory at Ponchatoula gave Hammond a nine-game winning streak and a 41-30 all-time lead in the series.

"People can say what they want about Hammond," Baiamonte said. "When they walk in and see the green and white across the field, hey, it's the Super Bowl. They are going to be gunning for us and it gives them a little extra ammunition against us with us fighting for a playoff spot.

“They know that and we know that. I'm sure they are looking forward to trying to knock us off, given the opportunity. There is a lot of importance on both sides of the ball this week for the game."

Both teams share the same strength - running the football. Ponchatoula's attack features Joseph Green, who has rushed for over over 170 yards in a game four times this season.

"The type of defense they run, you have to be very disciplined against it," Tors coach Rusty Barrilleaux said. "We have to continue to get better this week and understand our responsibilities because we are going against a team that runs the option. It's very important you do your job every play or it could come back to hurt you."

But Barrilleaux knows his team will also have to guard against the play-action pass. Eldrid Palmer hit Green on one for 37 yards for the winning touchdown in Ponchatoula's 7-6 victory over Fontainebleau last Friday. An earlier 67-yarder from Palmer to Jacques West was called back by a penalty.

"When you're up in there watching the option and the dive, you kind of have the tendency to forget about that pass and they can get behind you," Barrilleaux said. "That's something we definitely have to be aware of."

Baiamonte said those passes came out of necessity with Fontainebleau focusing on stopping the run.

"Fontainebleau put the pressure on us that if you're going to move the ball, you're going to have to throw it a little bit," Baiamonte said. "We definitely attempted a lot of play action passes for that reason and it was important that we complete them. We completed that real big one for the winning touchdown.

“Our defense kept us in the game and the kids never quit. They kept pounding and we finally executed one of those passes to give us that lead."

Hammond can also pound the ball behind Torian Weber and Justin Betts. Those two combined for nearly 300 yards against Northshore earlier in the season and Weber had 94 yards in a 33-0 loss to Slidell Friday night.

"One thing that we haven't had a lot of success with is defending good running backs and Hammond has some," Baiamonte said. "Our kids face another good challenge in defensing some very good running backs. It will be interesting to see how our kids come out and play."

Ponchatoula did hold Fontainebleau to 130 yards rushing, and the Bulldogs' only score came off a blocked punt.

"The kids played well and they made it (stopping the run) important to them," Baiamonte said. "We've been preaching for weeks now to play within yourselves, do your job and don't worry about the other 10. Just do your job with authority and take pride in doing your job. I think as that game wore on last week, we had 11 guys on the defensive side of the ball take pride in their jobs."

Getting the job done in the trenches is what Hammond needs to do to have a chance to win the game Friday, Barrilleaux said.

"We need to maintain the line of scrimmage - get a push up front, protect the ball and stay on the field as long as possible," Barrilleaux said. "Keep our defense off the field. We need to establish some good drives and really do what we do and that's run the ball.

“It's no secret that's what we do. We have two backs who really can give us the big play at any time. We need to have the opportunity to do that and it starts up front. We have to put a hat on a hat and maintain the line of scrimmage."

This is the second time in three years the game has been played at Strawberry Stadium and both head coaches said it is a great venue for the rivalry.

"It's a great opportunity for these kids who don't get the opportunity to play on SprinTurf and in that big stadium," Barrilleaux said. "It is going to be something they always remember and that's why I like doing it for them."

No matter where it's played, it figures to be an intense rival match.

"It always is," Barrilleaux said. "It is something that both towns really get into. They show up and it's usually a great atmosphere. It's always a battle."