COSBY — When the Cosby Eagles walked in their locker room Friday, they celebrated their win over Claiborne County.
Not only did the win put CHS at 4-1, continuing their best start since the 2008 season — it marked their second win over a 3A program in the past three weeks, and the 1A Eagles had a right to feel good.
But that feeling didn’t remain for the entire night.
Instead, it was soon replaced by the kind of intense focus that can only come from a long-standing rivalry.
And this week, that rivalry will take center stage as the Eagles travel to Sneedville to take on Hancock County in a region tilt.
Cosby and Hancock County have long been rivals in multiple sports, especially basketball.
But the ante was upped in football year, as the Indians drove 80 yards for a late score to beat the Eagles 36-32 on their home field.
It was the Indians’ lone win of the 2023 season, as HCHS finished the year with the same record as Cosby: 1-9.
Afterward, several players remained on the field and pointed gleefully at the scoreboard, leading to multiple verbal altercations after the final whistle.
The issue was summarized in this quote from Cosby head coach Levi Cooper, then in his first season at the helm: “We don’t like them, and they don’t like us.”
“It’s a region game, and it’s a rivalry game,” he added this week. “When the schedule comes out you circle it, because a lot revolves around it. Winning it is a big deal because you’ll see them in other sports.
“It’s a big game, especially the way last year went with them upsetting us on our home field. So we have to keep our emotions under control and not do anything to mess up our chances of beating them on Friday.”
And for Cosby, those chances this year look great on paper.
With Friday’s win, they put together an impressive turnaround in Cooper’s second season.
Meanwhile, the Indians are 0-4 following a 56-8 loss to North Greene.
But Cooper isn’t putting much stock in their record, knowing those go out the window in a rivalry game.
Instead, he has been busy digging into the Indians’ multiple sets on both sides of the ball.
“They play multiple fronts in the few films we’ve gotten on them,” he said of their defense. “A bunch of different looks.”
For Cosby, that means the Eagles will try to rely on their ground game early, giving Cooper time to analyze what he can attack on the Indians’ defense.
That method certainly worked last week, as Cosby running back David Baker rushed for three touchdowns.
“We’ll have to see as the game goes on and see how they’ll try to attack us,” he said. “In some games they’ve been very pressure-oriented, and in another game they didn’t hardly blitz at all. Then against Cloudland they had a completely different front.
“So with that variety of looks, we’ll have to be prepared to adjust as the game goes on.”
The same goes for the Indians’ offense, which has featured several different formations on film.
“Each tape they’re doing something different, so it makes for a long week of preparation, trying to get the defense to where they can line up against any one of those and take away what they do best in each set,” Cooper said. “It will be a game of adjustments on both sides, trying to figure out what they come out in and how to attack us.
“So no matter what, we’ve just got to make sure we can line up to their sets. Know where their keys are and what plays they like out of those. That’s where it gets tricky with them doing a multitude of things.”
In short, Cooper is ready for a chess match on Friday night.
But his players are also thirsty for a grudge match, as he noted the thought of “avenging” what happened last year.
“We’re excited to go play,” he said. “Our kids are excited. Last Friday night after we celebrated, they knew what week was coming up. So we’re ready for the opportunity to go to Sneedville.“
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