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PLANO – Keith Weiss has been cheering Plano football for nearly 30 years. And for the last 25, he's cheered hardest for the maroon when it played one opponent:

Plano East.

But Allen is a close second. And it probably got a little closer Friday night, as Allen beat Plano, 35-26, in a game that was about as intense as you can get when the playoffs are still seven weeks away.

In front of a close-to-capacity crowd of 14,000 at John Clark Stadium, it took less than three minutes for the pair of undefeated teams to get into a scuffle that resulted in offsetting personal fouls.

It was nothing serious. But it showed how much the game meant to Plano and Allen, two teams with similar goals:

Going deep in the playoffs.

After watching one of the best games, if not the best game, of the season so far, the goal looks attainable for each. And even for Plano, this can do nothing but help.

What did Plano learn?

That it's a very good team, and possibly a great team, with an offense that can move the ball up and down the field. But it also learned that, against the No. 2 team in SportsDay's 5A area rankings, it can't survive losing two fumbles, throwing an interception and committing 11 penalties.

And what did Allen learn?

That even in a game with more than 1,000 yards of offense, defense can make the biggest play of the game. That play came with seven minutes left, when Plano was trailing, 28-26, and driving for the go-ahead score.

After a long gain by Plano quarterback Carson Meger, Allen defensive back Justin Robinson stripped the ball and returned it into Plano territory. That set up Allen's final touchdown, an 8-yard pass to Dan Buckner with 4:54 left that gave Allen its final cushion.

Both teams came in with high-powered offenses, and they were the stars of the night. Allen finished with 516 yards, and Plano finished with 584. Plano, long known for its power running game, passed for 367. Its star, running back Rex Burkhead, had 156 yards on just seven carries and caught six passes for 120 yards.

It didn't take the offenses long to get going. After exchanging turnovers, Plano (3-1, 0-1 District 9-5A) opened the scoring with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Meger to Nate Christian. The extra-point try was no good.

Allen (4-0, 1-0) responded with a 57-yard drive, capped by a 9-yard pass from Brown to Buckner. It was the first of three touchdown receptions for the Texas recruit.

Each team added a pair of touchdowns before halftime, giving Allen a 21-19 lead at the break. The shootout appeared to be on, and the rivalry – it was getting more intense.

But next week, Allen coach Tom Westerberg said, Allen gets another rival.

"In Allen, it's whoever you play," he said. "Next week, Berkner's going to be our biggest rival. We're the outsiders. We're everybody's rival."

The same might be said for Plano, which has as much tradition as any program. But right now, Buckner said, everyone is gunning for Allen.

And that's the way he likes it. Especially after the biggest win of the season.