CICERO, N.Y. -C-NS and Liverpool are separated by about ten miles. The football players on both squads have played with each other and against each other for years. The close connections mixed with the close proximity have led to one of the greatest rivalries in Section III. 

Until 2008, there was a "Star Wars Cup" trophy that would be given out at the end of the contest. Although there's no trophy exchanging hands anymore, that doesn't mean the rivalry isn't strong in this galaxy not so far away. 

When I stopped at practices on Wednesday, it was clear that the Warriors had a chip on their shoulder. They hadn't beaten the Northstars since 2015, and they had gotten beaten up pretty badly over the last few years. At practice, with a much more experienced squad, they seemed much more confident coming into the C-NS clash.

In Cicero, C-NS head coach Dave Kline told me that Liverpool was a solid squad full of athletes that shouldn't be taken lightly. He was right. On Friday night as I sat in the student section, it was apparent that the Warriors were phased by the talent on the other side of the field.

After an interception in the 1st quarter, Jacob Vacco pounded the rock in for the first touchdown of the game. The student section, all dressed in white, was clearly pumped. 

That Vacco touchdown was the only one scored in the first half. The Warriors went into the break up 7-0, and after halftime I caught up with Dave Mancuso, the bench general for the 'Pool. I asked him how his team carries the momentum into the second half.

"Our kids are jacked up, I don't have to say anything to them," Mancuso said about his squad. 

In the second half, Liverpool stayed strong on defense, making clutch play after clutch play. After scoring a field goal, the defense came up with quite possibly the biggest play of the game. On a C-NS 4th and 3 try, Liverpool swarmed the ball and made the stop.

From there, they methodically went down the field, running the clock down to the final minute. There wasn't much the C-NS defense could do to slow down their run game. As the clock wound down, the Warriors knew they had pulled off an outstanding upset and a huge win. 

The player of the game was Jacob Vacco, the RB that scored the lone touchdown of the game, and came up big on defense. Afterwards, Vacco was all smiles about beating his rival for the first time in his career.

"It means a lot that I get to go out my senior year and we get to put them down." 

With the win, Liverpool improves to 2-0, while C-NS drops to 1-1. Next week the Friday Night Matchup will take us out to Baldwinsville, where the Bees will battle with West Genesee in a Class AA clash.