The storied Ohio high school football rivalry between Moeller and Princeton will be renewed tonight under the lights of Atrium Stadium.

Moeller (9-3) gets set to battle the Princeton Vikings (11-1) at Mason High School, kickoff will be at 7 PM.

Earlier this week we were able to locate the famous King of the Block trophy, awarded to the winner of this historic rivalry after each matchup. It's been a long time since the trophy has been up for grabs.

The last time Moeller and Princeton met in a playoff game was in 1993. The Crusaders prevailed 18-15 in a defensive slug fest.

The Crusaders have won 14 straight matchups with the Vikings, however most of those wins took place over 30 years ago. The last time these two teams played was in 2008, Moeller pulled out an exciting 27-17 victory over the Vikings.

It's been a while since both these historic programs have been on equal footing. Moeller rolls into this matchup as the #1 seed, Princeton comes in as the #4 seed.

The Vikings have put together quite the season, dominating GMC competition. Their one loss came in week 4 to the #3 seed Lakota West, who took home the GMC crown this season. However, since that loss, Princeton has been on a roll. Princeton has won eight straight since that week four loss, with playoff wins over Walnut Hills and Sycamore.

Quarterback Mekhi Lynn has been on a tear since he returned from injury. Last week vs Sycamore Lynn passed for over 200 yards and picked up another 100 yards on the ground. He is the definition of a dual threat quarterback. Last time Moeller played a quarterback with this type of running ability was week 9 vs St. Edward. 

The Vikings defense has been stingy of late. Since their week 4 shutout loss, this defense is giving up 17 points per game, while the Princeton offense is averaging 35 points per game.

Moeller is going to find ways to keep Lynn and the Viking's offensive attack grounded. The best way to do that is to apply pressure. If the Crusaders can get out to an early lead, it will be interesting to see how the Vikings offense will respond. They have not faced much adversity this season.

Moeller is led by senior quarterback Noah Geselbracht who has put together a remarkable season. Geselbracht has found wide receiver Tennel Bryant 61 times this season. Bryant only needs seven more receptions to break Tony Harris's all time Moeller record for most receptions in a single season with 67.

The passing game has flourished under this coaching staff. Creative route combinations and formations have been a big part of this team's success.

The Crusaders have done an excellent job setting up the passing game by running the football. We've seen the emergence of sophomore running back Jordan Marshall late in this season. He's become someone who can take it to the house every time he touches the football. Marshall has also been great at getting tough yards in between the tackles. When you combine Marshall with the lateral quickness of junior running back Alec Weeder, it really makes for a dangerous backfield. One thing is for sure, both Moeller running backs are very hard to bring down.

The Crusaders can put up all the points they want, but as playoff games often do, this game may come down to the defensive side of the football.

In past Moeller vs Princeton matchups, we have seen some serious defensive battles. The Crusaders will need to stay disciplined to keep Lynn in the pocket. The defensive line must win the line of scrimmage and put pressure on the Viking's passing attack.

Good thing for the Crusaders, their defense is playing their best football of the season. The secondary has been playing great and the defensive line continues to dominate.

It's been a long time since these two programs have met with this much on the line.

From 1975-1985 Moeller won 7 State Championships and Princeton won 3. This stat certainly helps put this rivalry into perspective.

Tonight, the rivalry is renewed as Moeller will look to write the next chapter of this storied matchup.

Come on out to Mason High School tonight at 7 PM and help cheer on the Moeller Crusaders.

#LetsGoBigMoe #BeatPrinceton #KingOfTheBlock