Northwestern-Northern Lehigh is one of those special rivalries.

To call it a friendly rivalry wouldn't be right. It wouldn't give justice to the hard-hitting, all-out contests the two schools have in every sport they play.

But it is one of those rivalries where both sides respect each other like no one else they face. They want to beat each other and do it with authority. But after the game they can shake hands and leave the grudges on the field.

With both teams still fighting to stay alive for postseason berths, this year's Bulldogs-Tiger clash will likely be the same type of hard-fought game it usually is.

"It's for bragging rights," said Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder, who played for the Tigers. "If you win you remember it for a long time afterward. We don't have to say a whole lot to the players about what this game means."

The Bulldogs (4-2) are coming off a loss to Pen Argyl last week in which the Knights beat them up front, pounded the ball on the ground and hit some big plays in the passing game.

The Tigers (3-3) enter the Bo and Brett's Backyard Brawl after last week's come-from-behind win over Palmerton. They need to pull off some upsets over the next four weeks to earn a district playoff spot this season, but an Eastern Conference berth is certainly within reach.

In order to do it, the Tigers will have to slow down a Bulldog offense that has a few different weapons.

Quarterback Danny Marsh runs the triple option attack, but the team's biggest threat is running back/receiver Caleb Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound Division I recruit who will get the ball at least 15-20 times on Friday night.

"Johnson can run like a deer, he can bowl you over or he can spin away from you," said Snyder. "They run more triple option this year than in years past and Marsh does a good job reading it.

"We need to get penetration with out front five or six and disrupt things on the other side of the line of scrimmage."

Receiver Darien Middaugh is also a threat. He caught seven passes for 135 yards in last week's loss.

Johnson and Marsh are also the team's top linebackers in the Bulldogs' 4-4 defense.

Last week Pen Argyl got the best of Northern Lehigh up front and got behind the secondary for some big pass plays. The Tigers will likely attempt to do the same.

They will stay as balanced as possible. If they can establish a running game it will bode well for play action passes. And if they can establish a passing game it could get some Bulldogs out of the box and open things up for the run.

Northwestern ran for 174 yards last week.

For the second straight year the game will be used to help a couple charities that are near and dear to both teams and communities.

Bo and Brett's Backyard Brawl will help raise awareness and funds for the Bo Tkach Memorial Organization and Brett Snyder.

Bo, son of former Northern Lehigh head coach Jim Tkach, who was a standout quarterback for the Bulldogs, took his own life in 2007.

Snyder, the older brother of Josh and one of the most outstanding running backs in the history of the Northwestern football, has been fighting ALS for the past nine years.

While these two teams will hit each other as hard as they can for 48 minutes, the game is about more than just football.

"Football can seem like it's the most important thing at the time," said Josh Snyder. "But events happen in life that make you realize that the people you come in contact with and the relationships you form are what's really important."