Only 12 miles separate University of Charleston Stadium from West Virginia State's Lakin Field. The players and coaches know one another extremely well and, to an extent, they know what they're in for when the two schools face off.
It's always an exciting time when the Golden Eagles and Yellow Jackets square off, and there is no difference as Thursday's showdown between the two schools looms.
"Going into every game, you know you're always in for a fight. There's always something special about playing these guys," West Virginia State offensive lineman Dalton Shannon said. "The two schools are so close, there's so much pride involved and you don't want to lose. When you go up against the other school across town, a loss is unacceptable."
West Virginia State (1-2) enters the contest ready to turn the tide on this rivalry - the Yellow Jackets have lost every meeting between the two schools since 2009 - while Charleston is looking to use the game as its way to kick-start the comeback it's been searching for this season after opening 2016 with three consecutive losses.
Both teams enter the game coming off tough losses last Saturday in which critical mistakes went on to cost them chances at victories. For State, it was a 35-14 loss to West Virginia Wesleyan in which some crucial defensive lapses and other things that coach Jon Anderson called "basic football mistakes" proved to be a difference. Charleston had five turnovers that allowed Glenville State to beat the Golden Eagles 35-28.
In that way, the coaches agreed it was a good thing that they were playing each other on a Thursday night. The earlier game gave them less time to prepare for it, but that meant it was also less time the players could spend dwelling on those losses and move on to the next opponent.
"This is our second time playing on a Thursday this year, so we have a good idea of how to prepare on a short week. But it's hard when you're banged up and you want your guys to get healthy," Charleston coach Pat Kirkland said. "They understand how important this game is and that alone gives them a lot of motivation. They're ready to get out there."
The players are expecting an electric environment Thursday night, with both teams fired up and realizing that there's plenty to play for.
At the same time, they understand they can't treat it any differently than any game they've played earlier this season.
"We know they're going to come out and play hard and everyone's going to be excited to be out there," Charleston defensive lineman James King said. "We just have to play it like any other game we'd play. Of course, there will probably be some more emotion because it's a rivalry game but we just have to play our game and worry about what we're doing."
Both teams have been dealing with some key injuries early this season. The Golden Eagles and Yellow Jackets were both without their starting quarterbacks last week as Mason Olszewski (UC) and Matt Kinnick (State) were sidelined. Both could make their returns tonight.
Last year, the Golden Eagles came away with a 34-13 win over the Yellow Jackets.
So far this year, Charleston's backfield led by Marvin Elam, Tevion Cappe and Vernard Roberts is second in the MEC in rushing yards per game, while West Virginia State's passing game is averaging 310 yards per game to sit at second in the conference.
"Our guys get excited for this game every year, our staff does too," Anderson said. "We live in the same communities and we see each other a good bit, you always know what they're doing and that brings an added element to this.
"I think our guys are just ready to put the pads on and get back out there, and I'm sure they're the same way. We both want to go out and win a game, so it's going to be exciting."
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.