The Nashua South football team breaks into a wild celebration after a dramatic 43-42 win over North in the Battle of the Bridge last year at Stellos Stadium. The rematch is set for Sept. 23.(Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – It’s impossible.

Try as anyone might, there is no way tonight’s annual Battle of the Bridge football game between Nashua High School North and South can be viewed as just your ordinary game in a season.

“We as coaches try not to look at this game as a different game, but it’s hard not to,” said Nashua North’s Chad Zibolis, who will be part of the game as a head coach for the first time after years as an assistant. “You can be 0-3 going against a 3-0 and it’s still going to be a tough game no matter what. The emotions of it, the kids’ emotions … It’s a hard game to coach up even during the whole week, and try to get the kids’ minds set right. We tell them, ‘Hey, guys, we’re going to coach it up like it’s any other game, and you’re going to play it like it’s any other game.’ That’s the hard part, keeping their focus, trying to stay out of the mess on the outside.

“The football game usually comes at the end of Battle of the Bridge week, and they think all the pressure’s on them.”

It’s not, obviously, but there may be more of a sense of urgency for Nashua South, because the situation for the two teams is the same as it was last year for what was one of the most entertaining games of the series: North is going in at 3-0 and Nashua South at 0-3. For the Panthers,it might be labeled as a must win.

“Oh I think it is, I think it is for sure,” South coach Scott Knight said. “We’ve dug ourselves a hole a little bit. We’ve just got to play well.

“Right now we’re just focusing on getting better. We’ve definitely improved in some areas. … Overall, I think we’ve definitely cleaned some things up. We have to tackle better. One thing at a time, I guess.”

Last year, the Panthers rallied for a dramatic 43-42 win on the game’s final play. They lead the overall series, 23-13, and with the Turkey Bowl for now a thing of the past, thanks in part to the new format that extends the postseason past Thanksgiving, this is the only time the teams will meet. The Panthers led the regular season series 11-8.

“When you go against a South team, it’s always a tough thing because they’re always well coached and they’re tough kids, a lot of whom have been in the weight room since literally last Thanksgiving,” Zibolis, who was a Knight disciple when he played at the one Nashua High School and Knight ran the weigh room as an assistant coach back in the mid 1990s.

South is led by senior quarterback Karsten Lemire, a varsity starter at the position who has shown great poise but will be under pressure from North defensive standouts Toby Brown, Jr. and Jack Peters.

“Watching that kid on film, he’s taken some hits and still put the ball on the mark,” Zibolis said. “Defensively, this is our type of game with our speed. I like the matchup better for us.”

As Knight said of the North’s expected pressure, “We’ll have to take care of that. They have pretty good team speed, and we know that (pressure) is coming.”

Offensively, North relies on the running of quarterback Derek Finlay and back Jordyn Raisanen-Andino. Knight feels Finlay “overall is their most dangerous player with the ball in his hands, we’ll have to try to contain him. And he can throw it so you’ve got to make sure you’re covering people. … But I know our kids will come ready to play. We’ve been real stout against the run. For the most part, against the point of attack, we’ve been solid against everybody.”

“Right now we’re our worst enemy,” Zibolis said. “That type of stuff now is what’s hurting us. But the last couple of weeks we’ve kind of clicked offensively. But last week against Keene, we tried to keep ourselves out of the end zone.”

The Panthers feel they need to establish more of a consistent running game, as a bevy of backs have been getting the ball but most of their yardage has been through the air. “It’s been tailback buy committee,” Knight said. “Still trying to get that O-line to jell the way we want them to. Once we get that going, we can establish a run game, everything else will come together.”

Knight said the Panthers have established a good receiving corps, and many are young, such as sophomore Kyle Emmons and freshman Joshua Tripp, both of whom had TD receptions last week vs. Merrimack. Tripp wasn’t even listed on the varsity roster two weeks ago.

If it’s close, don’t underestimate the factor of the kicking game. North has a good one in the strong foot of Dionard Toplana, who can likely kick field goals from as far away as 40 yards and also can boom the ball on kickoffs into the end zone. “He can put ’em through,” Ziobolis said. “And it’s an advantage too with our kickoff team. We’ve only had two when they can actually return it.”

“There’s a lot of benefits to having a guy who can kick like that,” Knight said. “You get points and field position.”

And you may get excitement in a game that always brings out the unexpected.

“You just never know in this type of game,” Zibolis said. “I’m excited about it.”

Because it’s really not just another game.

HUNGER GAME

Tonight is a New Hampshire Tackles Hunger game, where fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable items, there will be a receiving table set up somewhere inside the gates.

PREDICTION: NORTH 24, SOUTH 21. Toplano to the Titans’ rescue.