LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Friday’s great weather will lead to one very big crowd for the St. Xavier-Trinity game tonight at Cardinal Stadium.

It's a rivalry a lot of people don't understand until they see more than 30,000 people pack into a stadium for a high school football game.

The fans are gonna go nuts tonight, but the players are told to be a little more diplomatic when dealing with the media. But of course, there is a limit.

All Matt Smith has got to do to see the energy is look right in the hallways of St. Xavier. He knows it’s the talk of both schools, though his teammate Josh Gahm says it’s been strangely quiet all week.

“I haven’t really heard any trash talk this week,” he says.

Pete Ruiz/WHAS11

Trinity Principal Dan Zoller has a dark secret

But take a drive over to Trinity and you’ll see the battle lines have been drawn. When you hang a Winnie the Pooh character in effigy, you know that it’s serious.

Trinity Principal Dan Zoller has an interesting story: He’s a St. X graduate. “I tell all my students everybody makes mistake,” he says.

Tonight, both schools will bring their histories, their pageantries and their fans to Papa John’s Cardinals Stadium, hoping for a win but also hoping not to make too many enemies.

“Good luck, and may the best school win for this year,” says Mike Litell, St. X's vice president for advancement.

“I say good luck and may the best team win,” echoes Zoller.

Web story produced by Jay Ditzer.