PIKE COUNTY, Mo. — Last year was the first time that the Mayor’s Cup was played between the Bowling Green Bobcats and the Louisiana Bulldogs since 2015. The Bobcats captured the title with an incredible victory of 56-0 over the Bulldogs. Both teams are set to face off this Friday night for a rematch to see who will obtain the traveling trophy.

The Mayor’s Cup was first introduced in 1994 by Mayors Mike Grote of Bowling Green and Bill Wunderlich of Louisiana. The cup has always been one of the greatest traditions of high school football for the towns of Bowling Green and Louisiana. Both previous mayors had played football during their high school years and have always enjoyed the rivalry that the Bobcats and the Bulldogs have had throughout the two towns’ history.

The Bobcats are looking better than ever this season as they dominated in the jamboree in Hannibal defeating the Pirates. Hannibal had played in the State Championship game for their specific class. This was senior quarterback Dylan Dalton’s first victory, as he heads into his last season in a Bobcats uniform. Other seniors such as Gunnar Bryant and Brandon Gamm lock down the receiving core for the seniors with Bryant, a beast at tight end, and Gamm a strong and speedy wide receiver with good hands. On the defensive side, the Bobcats have senior linebacker Devin Rue who will be a massive help on the defensive side of the ball. We can’t forget about senior running back Marcus Starks who was named to the First Team All-State football along with Devin Rue and graduate Charlie Bowen.

With the Bobcats falling short in the quarterfinal against Lafayette County, they are looking to get back to the state playoffs and take home the state trophy. The Bobcats were undefeated last season up until the game against Lafayette. Bowling Green has lost some seniors that were essential to the team like Owen Niemeyer who played corner back, Charlie Bowen at linebacker, and Cooper Kiel who was a big help on offense at wide receiver and on defense at cornerback.

The Bobcats have had a great couple of seasons under Head Coach Joe Chinn. This season will mark the third installment of Coach Chinn’s head coaching career for the Bobcats. He had a few things to say on the beginning of the season and the Mayor’s Cup.

Coach Chinn commented, “We had a great summer of practice as well as a good jamboree. We expect to see a lot of people at the game as Friday’s game is very important to some people around this area.”

The Bobcats have had the Bulldogs’ number the last few times that the two teams have met. The sports fans of Bowling Green are hoping that this Friday will be just like the previous meetings between teams. Louisiana fans are hoping that the roles will switch, and the Bulldogs will come out on top with the win.

In the past, there has been a friendly wager between both mayors. The wagers seem to be about a specific food from a specific food area in the respective mayor’s town.

Winning the Mayor’s Cup will be the first goal of the Bobcats as they chase a state title after coming up short last season.