Shippensburg’s high school football team doesn’t need any extra motivation this week.

The Greyhounds cap their regular season off on the road Friday against their longtime rival Big Spring at 7 with the Little Brown Jug on the line, as well as a chance to play one more game in front of their home fans.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of pressure on the kids Friday night,” Ship coach Eric Foust said, “but I think they will handle it well. If we win, we get a share of the conference title and a home game to start the playoffs. We need to play well and go into the playoffs with a win.”

Ship (8-1, 4-1 Mid Penn Colonial Division) currently sits third in the District 3 Class 5A rankings, which would give it a home playoff game against the number 14 seed (currently Exeter Township). A win would not likely catapult the Hounds to the number 2 seed and a bye, but a loss could see them drop in the rankings.

Playoffs aside, Shippensburg will also look to continue its dominance over the Bulldogs (3-6, 1-4 MPC). The Hounds have won the last seven meetings between the two teams and own a lifetime 39-22-1 record. Steady rain is in the forecast for the game and could play even more into Ship’s hands.

“We’re mudders,” Foust said. “Honestly, I think the rain can be a bit of an equalizer at times and keep games close, but I don’t think it will have much of an effect on us. Our offensive and defensive lines should be able to play well, and I think Big Spring does like to throw the ball more than us, which could be tough in these conditions.”

Shippensburg may be peaking at the right time, too, behind a dominant ground game and a stingy defense playing its best football of the season. The Greyhounds haven’t allowed a point in their last two games and have held their opponents scoreless over their last 10 quarters. And as the offense has established its identity as a smash-mouth rushing attack, the defense has become tougher against the run as well. It held Red Land to just nine yards rushing on 20 carries last week, led by four sacks from Anthony Smith.

Said Foust, “We’ve switched up our coverage a little bit to eliminate the big play, but I think it really comes down to communication and buying into the system. Ethan Stouffer and Josh Connor have done a good job of communicating with each other and our defense.”

And Foust believes the defense has also been helped by the offense, which is led by Adam Houser and Jacob Loy. Houser leads the Mid Penn Conference with over 1,500 rushing yards.

“Early in the year, the offense was hitting big plays, which put the defense on the field more,” Foust said. “The past few weeks, our offense has slowed the game down and kept our defense fresh and off the field.”

It’s been a recipe for success for the Greyhounds, and they hope their smash-mouth approach will lead them to a home playoff game and another year in possession of the Little Brown Jug.