The Friday Night Matchup featured a contest between a pair of teams that have a rivalry that dates back to 1955. Homer made the short trip to Cortland with the “Home-Cort” jug in hand, a trophy that they’ve held on to since 2011 -- and they didn't relinquish it, prevailing 45-14.

The Purple Tigers, who were coming off their first win of the season, struck first. The touchdown by Jaden Finch got the Cortland faithful on their feet, but Homer answered quickly to tie the game back up in the first quarter.

The Purple Tigers kept it a one-score game into the second quarter, but the Homer defense turned the tide. A fumble recovery by John Denkenberger put the Trojans up 30-14 and they never looked back en route to a victory.

"It’s great. You’re friends with a lot of people on the team, but at the end of the day it’s just another team in your way. You’ve got to get the job done,” Denkenberger said.

Denkenberger was the player of the game after scoring three touchdowns in the contest.

With the win, the Trojans improved to 2-1, while the Purple Tigers fell to 1-2. Homer will take on Westhill next week, while Cortland will square off with Solvay.

Next week’s Friday Night Matchup features a Class A clash between Auburn and ESM, which will be live on Spectrum News.