It’s called the Battle of the Wood.

Coaches at Brentwood and Ravenwood high schools hope it doesn’t go down in history as the Battle in the Mud.

While the annual Brentwood and Franklin football matchup may have more history, no one can deny this one has all the elements of a full-blown rivalry game.

At stake? The Wooded, a wooden, football-shaped trophy and bragging rights for a year.

The trophy has been on display at Ravenwood High for the past year. It will be displayed on the sidelines Friday night and presented to the winning team’s athletic director when the last second has ticked off the game clock.

Who will be taking it home? It’s anyone’s guess.

Brentwood comes into the game off its first loss, a 7-27 defeat to host and reigning Class 5A state champion Oakland last week.

Ravenwood travels across the interstate with its first win, a 20-0 shut out against Page, under its belt.

Before the coin is tossed for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, however, there’s the weather to contend with. After three days of soaking rain, BHS Head Coach Ron Crawford said a decision will be made by noon today on whether to play the game as scheduled or reset it for Saturday.

“Right now, we’re going to try to play. There’s a 50 percent chance of rain on Saturday too, so if possible we want to get it in tomorrow,” he said Thursday afternoon.

The Bruins practiced in the gym Wednesday and he expected them to do the same Thursday.

At Ravenwood, new Head Coach Tom Shuman said the Raptors got about an hour and a half of field time in Wednesday, and he hoped to follow suit on Thursday. He commended Williamson County Schools for keeping the district’s athletic fields in such good shape.

Both coaches said keeping a business-like approach to practices this week has helped keep their teams focused. But both acknowledge it’s no easy task during a rivalry week.

“I need to control the kids’ adrenalin a little bit,” Shuman said. “For (the coaches), it’s just another game. But it’s a big deal for the kids. We’ve got to make sure they don’t get too hyped up too early.”

At Brentwood, Crawford said his biggest challenge is keeping his players from reading their own headlines.  

“They need to stop reading the press reports,” he said.

The Associate Press has Brentwood ranked No. 8 in the state. The Bruins are No. 11 in

Prep Performance rankings compared to Ravenwood’s 17th ranking.

The Bruins continue to struggle with injuries. Still on their injured list are Austin Johnson, “one of our best players,” Crawford said, and TE/DE Aaron Barfoot. “We hope to get him back soon.”

The veteran coach said he’s been pleasantly surprised by the effort of several of his players.

“Our kicker (senior) Brian Davis has been doing an outstanding job,” Crawford said. He called senior wide receiver and defensive back Daniel Hagaman “a guy you can really count on,” and gave props to sophomore halfback/defensive back Austin Sanders.

At Ravenwood, Shuman attributed last week’s win to finally coming together as a team. “Team chemistry is a funny thing,” he said. With a new head coach and two new coordinators -- AT Owens for defense and Jason Reinbold on offense – “everyone’s had to give and take this season.”

Promoted to the top job in February, Shuman had previously served three seasons as offensive coordinator. He joined the Raptors’ staff in 2004 as offensive line coach and run game coordinator.

In 2005 Ravenwood won the Class 5A state championship. In 2006, they defended their title but lost to Smyrna.

In 2007, the Bruins made it to the post season, but were eliminated in the first round.

And last year, both teams played first-round games. Brentwood advanced to the third round where county rival Franklin defeated them, 7-14. Franklin went on to play in the championship game, losing to Oakland. 

After two losses to start the season, Shuman said it all came together against Page and he hopes the chemistry experienced there is present tonight.

Crawford is ready for his team to avenge its loss against Oakland. “We competed in spurts,” he said, noting that “our confidence is getting better in areas. Our quarterback (junior Clay Webber) grew up a little bit. But our guys got a little tired in the end.

“We would like to play that game again,” he said.

But right now, Crawford has one eye on the sky, and the other on his field.

A decision on whether to play or delay is expected by noon. Brentwood Home Page will post a decision as soon as it is announced. And if the game’s on, get their early. Weather notwithstanding, a packed house is expected.

Tickets are $5.