GAME OF THE WEEK:
Grosse Pointe South at Grosse Pointe North

Grosse Pointe North coach Frank Sumbera finds himself in unchartered territory with his team riding a three-game losing streak and heading into Friday's much-anticipated matchup against crosstown rival Grosse Pointe South.

But, despite North's 1-3 record ’ its worst start since 2001 ’ Sumbera isn't the least bit worried about his Norsemen.

"You can throw the records out the window for this game," Sumbera said. "These kids have grown up together and there's going to be no love lost for those three hours. Records won't mean a thing."

GP South coach Tim Brandon, who spent 14 years as an assistant at North before taking over at South, isn't buying North’s early-season substandard record, either. The Blue Devils (2-2) appear to be the better of the two on paper, but Brandon refuses to look past history.

"North has dominated this rivalry in the past 20 years," Brandon said. "I don’t know if there's ever a favorite going in. What I’m telling my players is to not believe the hype. North is better than its record shows."

The rivalry, which dates back to 1969, was recently named as one of the 42 best high school games in the country by the Great American Rivalry Series. Sumbrera, who has witnessed every game between the two schools, dating back four decades ago, said it’s unlike any other game he's ever coached.

"To my knowledge, I might be the only coach in Grosse Pointe to have seen every single game," Sumbera said. "We've definitely been the dominate of the two schools, but every year I get more excited for it to come back around."

North has won seven straight against South and is sporting a 28-13 all-time record against its Blue Devil rival. It's a record that Sumbera, who is in his 41st year at GP North, said he covets more than his school's six straight winning seasons.

"This is the game that I look forward to myself the most," Sumbera said. "And, this is the game that I have to do the least amount of coaching. I don't have to say a lot, I just have to guide them."

Among those being steered include last year’s backup running back, Jimmy Guest. Guest took over as a starter in the backfield after Tommie Watkins, who rushed for nearly 2,000 yards last year, graduated.

Hill hasn't skipped a beat, rushing for 204 yards against Utica Ford in Week 2 -- nearly matching the 400 combined yards he rushed for as junior.

"Jimmy is super talented," Sumbera said. "He catches the ball well, he’s an elusive runner and he’s got great balance."

Sumbera said he expects both offenses to come out swinging Friday, particularly South ’ which runs an effective spread offense, led by senior quarterback Ben Fry.

"We’ve got to contain Fry ’ we can’t let him go outside the pocket," Sumbera said. "He’s not a big guy, but he can throw it. And, they’ve got plenty of weapons, particularly in (Victor) Mollison."

Fry was 13 of 18 passing for 225 yards and four touchdowns and added eight carries for 72 yards in South’s 43-7 Week 3 victory over Sterling Heights. Three of Fry’s four touchdowns went to Mattison, who finished with six receptions for 120 yards.

South's spread offense, which has averaged more than 27 points per game, is relatively new to Brandon. Brandon, who would typically employ a pro-style offense, said it was specifically developed to compliment Fry's athletic ability.

"He’ll create on his own offense," Brandon said. "There are times where I’ll call a throw and he’ll run. He creates what he sees."

South has eight returning starters after losing 28 to graduation and will try to avenge its 24-7 loss to North at home last year. But more importantly, Brandon said a South win Friday would better his team’s shot at a postseason berth.

"It doesn’t matter what happened last year," Brandon said. "We need to win for the playoffs and we need to prove that this isn't a one-sided rivalry."