Rivalry games are just one of the many things that make sports so great.

The crowds are huge, the moments are unforgettable, and the memories created by these type of games can last a lifetime.On Friday night, in Mahanoy City such a game will take place and it's safe to say that long lasting memories certainly have the chance to be created.Anthracite Football League fans will get a second chance to see Mahanoy and Marian face off this season as the two will meet in the semi finals of the District 11 A playoffs.During the regular season and just three weeks ago the Colts took care of business against the Bears, defeating them 35-7.Marian is hoping things don't change much from its first encounter, while Mahanoy knows they need to play a better brand of football come Friday night."We're hoping to build off of the success we've had from the last few weeks and we know we have to play a more high level brand of football if we want to win," said Mahanoy head coach Dave Holman. "We've been playing consistent football over our past two games on both offense and defense. We need to try and carry that momentum into this week's game."Although the Bears have faced competition over the last two weeks where they were definitely favored there is no doubt they're playing well. They're heading into their match-up with Marian haveing scored over 50 points in their last two games.Marian on the other hand had a set back last week, losing to rival Tamaqua 31-21. Before the Raiders upset victory, Marian was playing well, winning three consecutive games and averaging 39 points per game in those victories.The Colts defense was also impressive in those victories giving up just seven points per game in that three game stretch."We've had a very intense and physical week of practice," said Marian head coach Stan Dakosty. "Overall, we need to play a more consistent game this week, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Our offense just didn't have the ball enough and we can't afford to have that happen this week."Keeping the ball out of the Colts offense's hands is smart move as thy boast quite a talented cast on the offensive side of the ball.Marian tailback K.J. Snerr (953 yards rushing 16 TDs), quarterback Ethan Kuczynski (991 yards 12 TDs), wide receiver Aaron DeAngelo (553 yards, 6 TDs), and WR/RB Hunter Nause (5 TDs) are all capable of taking one the distance at any time.Marian is averaging 27 points per game and just over 280 yards of offense per game.For Mahanoy, it's goal will obviously be to pound the rock in the option running attack. Marian did a good job of defending the Bears running attack the first time around, but that was against a Mahanoy offense with a banged up quarterback in Mason Ryan. Ryan is fully healthy now and Mahanoy is hoping for a better showing offensively than last time around.The Bears have two players that have eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in Ryan and fullback Lenny Dulsky.There will be a lot of factors that go into which team advances to the District 11 A championship. With that said, the battle in the trenches between these two AFL rivals will most likely have the biggest impact on the outcome of this one."They have outstanding athletes that are really good at running the option offense," said Dakosty. "We have a tremendous amount of respect for what they do. We just have to play discipline football and make sure we set the edge. It's key for us to get penetration into their backfield and bottle them up whenever we have the opportunity."