Greater Vernon Athletic Park will be draped in the fall colours of two city high school football rivals.
Billed as the Small Town Showdown, the Vernon Panthers - encouraging its fans to wear red - face the Fulton Maroons - asking their fans to wear white - in Interior AA Senior Varsity Football Conference play today (Friday, Oct. 24), at Greater Vernon Athletic Park.
Kick-off is 7 p.m.
The Panthers, 4-0 in Conference play, are the No. 1-ranked team in the B.C. AA polls, while the Maroons (3-1 in Conference) glide into the top-10 this week at No. 10.
Both teams are coming off lopsided wins where each team's offence put up 40 or more points - the Cats tamed the No. 7-ranked South Kamloops Titans 49-14, while the Maroons dispatched the Seaton/Kalamalka Sonics 45-7.
"The Battle of Vernon is always much anticipated," said Vernon head coach Sean Smith to Bernie Crump in this week's B.C. Secondary School Football Newsletter. "It draws a big crowd and both sides get extra motivated to play each other. I've gone against (Fulton) coach (Mike) Scheller so many times he could probably run our offence, so there won't be a lot of secrets out there on Friday."
Said Scheller, to The Morning Star: "It is always a tough task when you face the elite AA program in the province. The Panthers prove it year after year after year. The job coach Smith and his staff have done over the years is tremendous.
"All that being said, this is a fun game and our rivalry game for us. Our kids and our fan base get enthused for this contest and we always get a good crowd. Our coaching staff is happy with the progress our team has made in 2025. We are playing well and our kids have worked really hard this season. The Panthers play faster than anyone. We need to match their speed, intensity and play clean football Friday night. Go Maroons!"
Smith has been impressed by the Maroons' dynamic duo of Caden O'Dwyer (running back) and Ryder Altwasser (signal caller).
"They've got a very talented back and an athletic quarterback so we will have to make sure that we account for both of them at all times," he said. "For us, I've been really proud of how all 11 players on the field have become more physical and intense the past two-and-a-half games.
"To win, we're going to have to continue to play physical football at the line of scrimmage and execute as a unit in all three phases of the game. Defensive end Josh Vandenberg has been a force on the defensive line and special teams all season, while quarterback Ayden McDonald continues to grow into a special dual-threat leader."
Two other North Okanagan senior varsity squads hit the road Friday and Saturday.
The Sonics (2-3) visit the Westsyde/Valleyview Blue Wave (2-2) in Kamloops Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Armstrong's Pleasant Valley Hawks (1-4) take on the South Kamloops Titans (3-1) Saturday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. Both Kamloops games are at Hillside Stadium.
JUNIOR VARSITY
North Okanagan teams took it on the chin in Thompson Okanagan Junior Varsity Football League play Wednesday, Oct. 22, at GVAP
The early game saw the Salmon Arm Golds improve to 4-1 with a 41-8 win over the Pleasant Valley Hawks (0-5).
Darian McCormick scored Armstrong's touchdown and added the two-point convert.
Liam Phillips was named PVSS's player of the game on offence for providing big blocks. Defensive player of the game went to Michael Ferenci for his solid tackling.
A showdown of the conference's two undefeated teams was one-sided.
The Westsyde Blue Wave of Kamloops rolled into Vernon and defeated the VSS Panthers 30-13.
Both teams had been 4-0 entering the contest.
Bennett Friesen and Gavin Chenoweth had touchdowns for the Panthers.
The Seaton/Kalamalka Sonics look to remain in fourth place Thursday, Oct. 23, as they travel to Kamloops to play the South Kamloops/Valleyview Titans. Seaton is 2-2, the Titans are 2-3.
MINOR FOOTBALL
Vernon Magnums U10 (Atoms) White team rallied from an early 14-0 deficit to beat Salmon Arm 41-22 for the team's fourth win in a row.
Lennon Peterson led the Magnums with three touchdowns, Sam Jacque added a pair, and Lincoln Wadsworth also found the end zone.
Dash Cragg booted five of six converts.
Crucial blocks and reliable tackling was provided by Jack Tait-Crawford who led the team with nine.