By Dave Abbott of NELA Sports One
Northern League competition starts on Friday, with the Panthers of Franklin High and the Eagles of Eagle Rock High, crosstown rivals, meeting for their one and only football matchup of the season. The game — at 7:30 p.m. at Eagle Rock High — is generating more than the usual excitement. Here’s why:
Both teams are coming into the game undefeated. The Panthers are 5-0. The Eagles are 6-0.
The game is the “Battle of the Principal’s Trophy,” a tradition since 2006 in which the principal of the winning school holds the trophy for the year. Currently, Franklin Principal Regina Marquez-Martinez holds the trophy, though Eagle Rock leads the 15-year series overall with a record of 9-6. And this year, the Eagles will be competing to hand the trophy for the first time to Principal Derek Steinorth, who took the reins at Eagle Rock Junior/Senior High School last December.
Still, taking the really long view, Franklin rules: In the 76 years that Franklin and Eagle Rock have competed in football, Franklin leads with a record of 54-21-1.
In other Northern League action on Friday, the Wilson Mules of El Sereno will host the Lincoln Tigers of Lincoln Heights in the “Battle of the Belt,” in which the victorious team holds the belt for a year. Lincoln, the defending Northern League back-to-back champion, currently holds the belt. So far this season, Wilson is 4-2 and Lincoln is 2-2.
The remaining Northern League team, the Marshall Barristers of Los Feliz, will take on the West Adams Panthers on Friday. Marshall is 1-4 this season. West Adams is 1-3.
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