When the Francis Howell Vikings and the Francis Howell North Knights meet, the contest is usually both competitive and close, with crowds larger than what the team has for most of their games. This is what should be expected of any rivalry on any level in sports. Tuesday night’s softball game between the Vikings and the Knights fit the description for what a true rivalry game should be like. From an energetic crowd to both team’s playing at their highest level all of the way up to the final pitch, this fixture had a different feel to it than any other so far in the season. Head coach Mike Freedline describes what it was like to manage a game such as this one, and how it differs from other games on the schedule.

“It’s just more fun because you know the other team better and you want to beat them,” Freedline said. “It brings everyone’s level up, and makes it more fun to coach.”

Diving into the game itself, the Vikings jumped to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a RBI single off of Knights’ starting pitcher Elizabeth Davis. Later in the 3rd inning, Howell senior Lexi Wallner took one over the fence for a 3-run home run to jumpstart the offense. Howell North was held off the scoreboard until the 7th inning, where the Knights put together an 8-run inning behind a 3 RBI hit by Julia Hannan and runs scored by nearly the entire lineup. However, it was too little too late for the hosts, as Francis Howell was able to put an end to the comeback effort and come out with a 13-8 win over their rivals. Senior Sahaura Pauley talks about how the rivalry affected her team’s play as a whole.

“We allowed Howell to get in our heads,” Pauley said, “and it messed us up, so we made multiple mental mistakes.”

The loss dropped the Knights below the .500 mark at a record of 4-5. The Vikings  improved to a 9-3 record on the season, winning their fourth consecutive game. Looking ahead, Howell North will have a loaded upcoming schedule playing games on each day of the week and their next game being at home vs. Lafayette on Wednesday night. Knights softball player Jade Hake reflects on what the loss means for the team and the Knights going forward.

“I think the loss will teach us a lesson that we need to not give up during the middle of a game just because we are not doing good,” Hake said, “and we should continue to battle and try as hard as we can instead of just giving up.”