MOUNT VERNON — Week 10 of the high school football season has arrived, and with it one of the greatest rivalries in Central Ohio. It’s Devil-Dog week in eastern Knox County, and despite the team’s records, the battle for bragging rights is heating up.

East Knox (2-7, 2-4 Mid-Buckeye Conference) makes the 7-mile trip to Danville (1-8, 1-5 MBC) on Saturday night, and even though there are no conference titles on the line or playoff implications, the game will be highly contested.

“This game means a great deal to both communities,” said East Knox coach Tom Holton, who will be coaching in his 27th Devil-Dog contest. “With the communities being so close together and a lot of people being related to each other, this is really kind of about bragging rights between the two communities. It is a big deal — to the kids, to the former players, parents and fans. I’ve had the opportunity to be involved with a lot of these games, and it is always exciting.

“This is most definitely one of the biggest games on our scheduled year in and year out,” Holton added. “This year, we’re not playing for any championship or anything like that, but it is still as big of a game as any. It means a lot to win.”

“This is, traditionally, a very physical football game,” said Danville coach Charlie Duncan. “It is a game that the community looks forward to every year. No matter the records, it is a backyard game. We are playing for bragging rights. ... This is a battle for pride, even more so this year. We’ve both had a down year, but we’ll go at it full force. We each want to end a down season on a good note.”

Holton expects a battle from Danville, which is allowing 26.8 points a game. Take away the 51 points scored by undefeated Fredericktown, and the average drops to 23.75 points a game. Offensively, the Blue Devils are averaging 15 points a contest.

“They are a solid football team, and are a lot better than their record,” said Holton. “They play hard-nosed, solid defense. Offensively, they run the ball well and come at you. That’s just a typical Danville team. ... I think we match up fairly well. They’ve got a pretty good running back in (Heath) Buckingham. He runs very hard, so we need to make sure we get a lot of pads on him and wrap him up. That’s our big focus.”

On the flip side, East Knox is allowing 39.6 points a game, while scoring 13.2 of its own. Despite them being shutout three weeks in a row, Duncan expects the Bulldogs’ skilled players to make some noise come Saturday.

“We’ve seen some film on them, and there are definitely just a few players away; we feel like we are in the same boat,” said Duncan. “They’ve got (Tyler) Clement kid and (Colton) Tucker, both of which are very athletic; I think they are two of the better players in the league, so we are going to have to key on them. We have to contain them upfront; they have some good size. We need to pound on them early and try to wear them down.

“Their defense has definitely got some key players; we have to make sure we angle some blocks because there is a lot on our offensive lines’ shoulders this week,” added Duncan. “If we can get some of those blocks sustained and create some running lanes, that will help our running backs and give our quarterback some time to throw the football.”

A game featuring two teams that have had two disappointing seasons might not seem like much of a draw, but if practice is any indication, neither team has thrown in the towel on this season before this contest.

“Practice, including tonight, has been very good so far,” said Holton. “We’ve had a lot of good efforts, and we are going to need it. We need to be a lot more consistent with our offensive play execution; we need to not turn the ball over. Last week against Johnstown, we had a couple of drives early, but we just didn’t finish them. We got inside the 20-yard line and didn’t get the drive finished. ... We’ve just got to be a lot more consistent with our play execution.”

With the game in Danville, both Holton and Duncan know the advantage is Danville’s. Holton is trying to downplay that to his team and focus on what he can control, while Duncan is hoping it boosts his team to a victory.

“It is always nice to play at home; any coach is going to tell you that, but we don’t have that luxury,” Holton said. “We just need to stay focused and be more consistent. We also need to win the turnover battle.”

“It is always better to play here than there,” Duncan said. “That is an advantage, and we know that. Our ‘12th man’ is definitely going to be huge in a game like this. Hopefully, they will be loud as we try to end our season on a high note.”

Saturday’s game also means the end of the line for the seniors on both sides of the football. Each team would like to send them out with a victory, though only one can win.

“This is a big game for our seniors,” said Holton. “We’ve only got six seniors, and it would be nice to send them out with a win. They are kids that have played hard throughout their careers, and they deserve a win.”

Duncan said, “I told our seniors this week, ‘You will always be remembered for your last game, no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you had a bad year or a great year if you play great in the last game. You will always remember that.’”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Danville.