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The Goshen Eagles (3-0) face off against the Highland Home Flying Squadron (4-0, 2-0) in a Class 2A, Region 3 matchup this Friday, Sept. 20.

Coming into the contest, Goshen and Highland Home are tied in first place in the region and the winner will take hold of first place with the inside track on the No. 1 seed in the region.

Goshen is coming off a resounding 40-8 win over Calhoun last week.

“I thought we played well,” Goshen coach Don Moore said. “We’ve got a few things we need to clean up. We didn’t start the way we wanted to, we wanted to be a little more physical and start fast. I felt like we were a little bit asleep in the first half of the first quarter and then we woke up and played well from there.”

Highland Home is coming off a 63-0 win over Zion Chapel last week.

“They’re athletic, they have athletes everywhere,” Moore said of Highland Home. “They have a lot of guys that have been there for awhile and have a lot of playing experience. I expect to see a really good, physical football team. They carry a 7-8-man box (on defense) and want to make you throw on them and they have good skill guys on the back end.

“They also try to establish the run and have a few guys that can (carry the football). Then, they’ll try to throw it over the top of you. Based off what they like to do, I’d say they’re built similar to us.”

Highland Home has the top scoring defense in the state, giving up 2.3 points per game and having outscored its four opponents 179-9. Meanwhile, Goshen has one of the top scoring offenses in the state, averaging 41.3 points per game. Goshen and Highland’s only common opponent thus far this season is Zion Chapel. Goshen defeated the Rebels 44-21 on Sept. 6 and Highland Home beat Zion Chapel 63-0 last week.

“I want to see our guys focus and compete, that’s the main thing we’re working on,” Moore said. “We need to go over there and compete like we know we can.”

Senior quarterback Jayden McNabb has been a leader for the Goshen offense this season. He’s tallied 722 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground this season, along with 248 yards and four touchdowns through the air.

“He’s done a phenomenal job of commanding our offense and taking what the defense gives him,” Moore said of McNabb. “He doesn’t seem to get rattled, he’s very poised back there now. He feels really comfortable with what we’re doing and what we’re asking of him. I can’t say enough about the way he has played so far this year.”

Highland Home leads the all-time series with Goshen 31-28-1, including a 42-21 win last season. Highland Home has won the last four contests between the two teams dating back to 2018. Goshen’s last victory over Highland Home came in 2015, a 39-0 win.

Goshen will play the Squadron at Clay Stadium in Highland Home at 7 p.m. on Friday.