BALDWIN -- One of the more unsung rivalries in the Teche Area takes place Friday night as the Franklin Hornets take the five mile trip down Louisiana 182 to battle West St. Mary High in the renewal of what has become known as “Fire on the Bayou.”

The two schools are closely intertwined. WSM was formed in 1999 by pulling students from Franklin to give residents of the Baldwin, Glencoe and Four Corners area a school closer to their homes rather than make them travel to Franklin.

Since then, the two athletic programs have battled on the field for pride and bragging rights in every sport from football in the fall through track and field in the spring.

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“There’s no bones about it,” said WSM coach Andre Lockley. “With Franklin located about five miles away from here and with all the students that have relatives in Franklin and vice-versa, it’s a rival game.

“The stakes are higher, if only for some hometown pride.”

From when the two schools first played in football in 2001, there have been barn-burners, routs and upsets littered through the eight meetings.

“We know they are going to play hard against us and they know that we are going to play hard against them,” said Lockley, who has seen each and every game up close and personal as head coach of the Wolfpack since the school was created.

And the 2009 version of the rivalry promises to have the same hard hitting and passion despite the fact that some of the luster is off this year because of the poor records the teams sport this season.

West St. Mary enters the game with an 0-8 mark and is still looking for its first win of the season. Franklin is 2-7 overall but still has an outside chance at making the playoffs. The Hornets are 36th in the latest, unofficial power rankings provided by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association and a with and some help, could sneak into the playoffs at the No. 32 seed.

“It really doesn’t matter what the records are between the two schools,” said FSH coach Zeb Simon. “I truly believe that both teams are going to come out fired up and want to beat each other up.

“It’s been a rival game for years and both teams are going to play because each team wants bragging rights.”

Both coaches admit it’s been a tough year for their respective schools.

“We’ve had a lot of mental breakdowns this year on both sides of the ball,” said Simon.

“We’ve had a bunch of young kids who are willing to play but the lack of depth and experience has really hurt us,” added Lockley.

Both coaches also agree that records and struggles go out the window when it’s Fire on the Bayou week. The teams come to play and play hard was the consensus between the two coaches.

Two teams more known for offensive prowess in the past may have a defensive battle this year because both offenses have struggled to this point.

Franklin has scored an average of just under 7 points per game and only once has scored more than one touchdown in a game, in week six when the Hornets scored 14 points in a win over Berwick.

West St. Mary has been shut out three times this year but has scored 14 points in a game twice, against Jeanerette in week two and Berwick in week seven.

“We have so many kids going both ways and it’s hard to get them to give 100 percent on both sides of the ball,” said Lockley. “On defense, if you line up correctly, that’s half the battle, but offense is about execution and we’ve struggled on offense.”

The game takes on an added dimension because for WSM. A win can take the hurt out of a disappointing year. For Franklin a win keeps slim playoff hopes alive. And for both teams, a win gives the program some momentum heading into the offseason.

“These kids play together, go to church together, know each other,” said Lockley. “They know what this game means.”

Vermilion Catholic at Hanson

The Hanson Tigers close out the regular season Thursday night by playing host to Vermilion Catholic in a District 7-A contest.

Hanson (1-8, 1-3) suffered a 60-14 thrashing from longtime rival Central Catholic last week. Vermilion Catholic (3-6, 1-3) dropped a 28-6 decision to Gueydan.