Tonight another chapter will be written in the history of the great rivalry between Branham and Leigh high schools.
The rivalry has always been fierce, but found a way to become even more intense last year, when Branham P.E. teacher and former head coach Kyle Padia was hired by Leigh to become the coach of the Longhorns.
“Eighty percent of the time I am teaching over at Branham still,” said Padia, “I know the kids, I’ve taught there for eight years. I like Branham, and always wish them success in football, but the only game I want them to lose is the game against us.”
The teams will have a lot to play for this week (7 pm at Leigh), and have a large reservoir to draw motivation from. Leigh (2-4, 1-2 in BVAL Santa Teresa Division) will try to keep the momentum going from last week's tense victory at Mount Pleasant, as well as keep its hopes of going to the playoffs alive.
Branham (0-6, 0-3) will be out to prove itself after a tough 49-20 loss to Lincoln last week. The Bruins are still on the hunt for their first win of the season, and it would only make it sweeter if it were to be against their biggest rival.
Making things harder for Branham is Leigh’s junior quarterback Spencer Barnes, who after seeing limited playing time behind senior Gabe Davis for the first half of the season, erupted last week in his first major role, as he guided Leigh to victory. Branham will need to prepare for this quarterback committee system Leigh has successfully been implementing. They will also need to figure out a way to stop halfback Lavon Donald, a tough task for any defense.
On the other side, Leigh will need to find a way to shut down Branham’s own playmakers, specifically quarterback Mitchell King and halfback Germani Rogers. Branham will no doubt try to utilize Rogers’ running ability against Leigh’s porous run defense.
One thing that probably won’t impact the game will be home-field advantage. While Leigh will be playing host to the contest, both schools tend to have a large fan base. At last year’s game, a wild showing that ended in a Leigh victory on a touchdown run by Davis, Leigh students traveled to the game and almost equaled the number of Branham students in attendance.
This year, with Branham out for revenge, and the Longhorns playing for their post-season chances, this game promises to add another thrilling chapter to the rivalry.
