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The Goshen Eagles (5-2, 4-1) will face off against the Luverne Tigers (4-4, 4-1) in a Class 2A, Region 3 contest with home field advantage in the playoffs on the line this Friday, Oct. 25.

The Eagles are coming off a bye week, which allowed Goshen to heal up some bangs and bruises.

“It was good for us to get a little rest and get a little more healthy,” GHS Coach Don Moore said. “We practiced, obviously, but were also able to work on us and also work on getting as healthy as possible for this final stretch.”

Goshen and Luverne are currently tied for second place in the region and whoever wins this week will secure the coveted home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

“It’s extremely important for us, it was one of our goals; to host a playoff game,” Moore said. “Getting this region win will stamp that for us. It’s really big for us just like it is for them because whoever wins this game gets to host the first round. I expect to see a (Luverne) team ready to go and we have to match that.”

Luverne is coming off a 21-0 win over Barbour County last week.

“They’re a typical Luverne football team. They’re physical and they like to establish the run,” Moore said. “They also have some good athletes and play hard on defense. I expect to see a team that’s only losses have come against some really good football teams. I expect to see a good football team across from us.”

After losing back-to-back games to Highland Home and Elba, the Eagles have now won back-to-back games in dominating fashion over Barbour County and Pike Lib.

Goshen and Luverne have met a total of 34 times with Luverne holding the edge 27-7 in the series. Goshen won last year’s matchup, however, by a score of 34-17. Before that, Luverne held a 5-game winning streak over the Eagles.

“I want to see us play physical and play for four full quarters,” Moore emphasized. “We did that against Pike Lib and if we can keep that same momentum this week it will be great. We played physical for four quarters and I want to see that again this week.”

Goshen and Luverne will play this Friday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. in Luverne at Glenn Daniel Stadium.