Two cross-town rivals are set to clash tonight as one looks to get a leg up on the city championship.

Lakeland High School (0-2) at Nansemond River High School (1-1)

The Cavs go on the road tonight to try to get their first win of the season against a tough Warriors team. The teams were set to play last week before the weather forecast interfered. Both teams will play two games this week, but they won’t let their circumstances affect their play.

Both teams met at Lakeland in 2017, where Nansemond River won 23-20 in a tough matchup. Once again this year, both teams are expecting a similarly tough game.

“This is always a good game,” Warriors Coach Justin Conyers said. “Coach (Kevin) Knight has been doing a good job with that program, and they have a talented quarterback. We are going to have to make sure we are focused. They have good athletes, and they always play us tough.

In Nansemond River’s last win, the defense was able to notch a shutout. Conyers and his players have been confident in the potential of the Warriors defense. No matter what team steps on the field with them, they feel good about being able to limit offenses.

Lakeland is still searching for their first win after not looking as well as they’d hoped in the first two games. Through two games, they have scored only one touchdown. Lakeland possesses the weapons to turn the game into a shootout, but they will have to play hometown football against the Warriors.

The Cavs are not down on themselves at all; they know what they are capable of, and they are anxious for their first win.

“We will never get down on ourselves,” quarterback Tyquan Holloman said. “We know the importance of getting into the win column. That’s the most important thing to us at this point. We have to make sure we are concentrating and executing our game plan.”

Lakeland will be at Nansemond River at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

King’s Fork High School (2-0) at Hickory High School (0-2)

The Bulldogs will be at home for the second time this season to take on the Hawks. Last season the Bulldogs dominated the Hawks 35-7, but Coach Scottie Littles knows he and his team can’t take this game for granted.

“They played Nansemond River really tough last game,” Littles said. “They are a team that’s continuing to get better each year. We know what’s in front of us, and they know what they need to do to be successful Tuesday night.”

With the lack of practice time between last week and the game, Littles feels confident in his team this week. The strength and conditioning program King’s Fork went through in the offseason was for times like these. After the matchup with Hickory, they play Grassfield High School on Friday. The preparation for this week has to be deliberate, with two games in four days, but Littles has raved about the team’s focus on what’s in front of them.

“We take everything week by week, game by game,” he said. “It’s funny because sometimes the kids don’t even know who we are playing the following week. It’s the culture. And we are focused on Hickory and only Hickory right now.”

King’s Fork did practice Saturday, and the Bulldogs were excited to be back on the field.

“You never know how much you miss something until you can’t do it,” Littles said. “For a few days, we couldn’t do anything. We are glad things didn’t get too bad here, and we pray for those who did get hit.”

King’s Fork will be at home against Hickory at 7 p.m. Tuesday.