By Mike Rubin

In the relatively new football rivalry between Somerville and Matignon, Somerville has managed to maintain the edge.

After a relatively easy victory over the Warriors last season, the Highlanders are looking to finish off the season in style with another victory on Thanksgiving Day. Kickoff is 10 a.m.

The Highlanders, who have posted a 3-6 mark this season, have faced one of the toughest schedules in the state. Teams have included Xaverian, Malden Catholic as well as Everett and St. John’s Prep.

“We’ve faced through some tough opponents, and I think we definitely have the advantage,” said coach Harry Marchetti. “I really think we match up well against them, and I like our chances.”

Fresh off a win against Cambridge, the Highlanders will be led by the power running game of Joshua Scarry, who’s amassed close to 1,000 rushing yards along with nine touchdowns this season. Other threats on the ground game include Devon Hairston, who’s rushed for 400 yards and five touchdowns.

Manning the passing game will be quarterback Rob Pratt, who’s thrown for six touchdowns while Zack Sciuto could serve as his main wideout. Other contributors on the offensive game include Seamus Desmond, Eddy Maldonado along with Chris Traylor.

For the Highlanders to win, they’ll have to generate offense. While they’ve exploded for bursts against Medford (35-8) and Cambridge (30-8), they’ve also been victimized, having been shutout five times this season.

“We have to score first because if we don’t, then we’ll be behind the eight ball,” said Marchetti. “We have to control the game on both sides of the ball and not make many mistakes.”

The Warriors, who’ve posted a 4-5 mark, have rebounded from an 0-3 start, have responded nicely en route to a 4-2 finish. After posting a thrilling 21-20 win over St. Clement, the Warriors coasted to a 30-6 victory over Trinity Catholic followed by a 34-0 shutout win over Marian. After suffering a tough 44-0 loss to Lowell Catholic, the Warriors cruised to a 20-0 win over Cathedral before succumbing in a 38-24 defeat to Pope John.

Leading the way for the Warriors is quarterback Alessandro Cordima, who’s thrown five touchdowns while rushing for six while Jon Barry will emerge as a main wideout followed by Owen Bullockt. Also contributing on offense will be running back Phil MacDonald. Along with Tom Farren, While Cordima has seen some snaps at quarterback, other key components include Nick Ayoub and Farren. Rounding out the offensive assets include Mike Nicholson at running back along with Ron Slager at fullback.

“They (Matignon) aren’t going to be easy, and we definitely have our work cut out,” said Marchetti. “We have to come out early, or else we could be in for a long game.”