Western Kentucky high school football wouldn’t be complete without its key rivalry matchups. One of those matchups will open up the season this Friday night as the McCracken County Mustangs host Paducah Tilghman for another rendition of Rumble on the River.
While the rivalry has been strongly in favor of the Blue Tornado since 2018, both teams enter the 2025 season with vastly different rosters.
Both teams lost key contributors who put points on the board and made their presence known on the defensive side of the ball. But, while rosters might look pretty significantly different from the outside, both teams understand that they can’t overlook their upcoming opponent.
“They are still a really good team and they have some special players over there,” McCracken County head coach Tyler Brooks said ahead of Week 1 against Tilghman. “They are still Tilghman. They have a bunch of speed. Coach Thompson and Coach Lovelace do amazing jobs with their offensive and defensive schemes. Sure, they lost probably one of the best quarterbacks in Kentucky history, but they still have the pieces and we expect them to come out strong on Friday night.”
On the opposite side of the field, Tilghman head coach Sean Thompson understands the threat that will be across from his team’s defense. The Mustangs boast one of the most experienced senior quarterbacks in Western Kentucky in Maddox O’Neal.
“Maddox is definitely going to be a threat,” Thompson said. “We can’t allow him to get comfortable and give him the time to throw the ball. Luckily, I think we have a defense that’s built for that right now, just based on what we’ve seen in our preseason scrimmages and all offseason.”
Of course, Tilghman has a few key senior leaders of its own, including running back DJ Wilson. The freight train has been a Blue Tornado since his pee wee football days and is ready to take on his senior season.
“We are all excited to get the season going,” Wilson said. “I just really love the game of football, I always have and I really want to get back to the championship game one more time.”
Wilson says the Blue Tornado are ready to get on the field and pick up where they left off, winning.
The Mustangs have plans to disrupt that plan, though, as they are coming into the 2025 season as confident as ever.
“I’m ready to go out and replicate what we did last year and do even better,” O’Neal said. “I’ve got three amazing receivers who have come back better than they were last year. I just think we have a great chance on Friday, going into the game, I’m very confident and I feel our team has what it needs to do it on Friday.”
This years Rumble on the River is set for Friday night at Marquette Stadium on the campus of McCracken County High School with kick-off set for 7 p.m.