LEWISTON – At first glance, the most anticipated Battle of the Bridge since the 2002 Pine Tree Conference championship game appears to be a contrast of strengths.

Edward Little enters the 164th meeting (1 p.m., Don Roux Field) with senior quarterback Cody Goddard leading one of the most prolific passing offenses in the state against a Lewiston defense that has not given up a passing touchdown all year. Lewiston counters with dynamic 1,000-yard-rusher Wesley Myers looking to move the chains against an improving Edward Little run defense.

No doubt the Red Eddies (6-1) want to test Lewiston’s secondary with the strong-armed Goddard, who leads the PTC in passing yards (1,279) and touchdowns (14) throwing to a bevy of big, athletic receivers. And certainly the Blue Devils (7-0) would love to chew up yardage and clock by putting the ball in the hands of the PTC’s second-leading rusher, Myers (1,130 yards, 15 TDs).

But the game could just as easily turn on a big play from Lewiston’s passing game, or on a grind-it-out drive by Edward Little’s running game.

“It almost may come down to whether each of us can handle the other team’s second dimension,” Lewiston coach Bill County said. “That’s what’s intriguing about this matchup. I think there’s some great Xs-and-Os stuff going on this week.”

“That’s the beauty of it,” EL coach Darren Hartley said. “If you really delve into the statistical piece of my team and (Lewiston), we’re both pretty balanced.”

Hartley pointed out that Ronnie Turner, Lewiston’s QB, is completing nearly 50 percent of his passes and has yet to throw an interception to offset his seven TD tosses. While Edward Little’s Shane Ciriello, Sean Daigle and Donovan Bailey all have more receiving yards, Lewiston’s Chuck Faletra and Tyler Lussier are as capable of breaking a big catch.

“They throw the ball eight, nine, 10 times a game, but (Turner) is going to complete six or seven of them, and when he completes them, he completes them in space,” Hartley said. “Everybody defends Wes, and the next thing you know, Chuck’s gone 40 yards on a fade, or Lussier’s gone 22 on a post or whatever. They’re dangerous.”

Buddy Foss (736 yards rushing) and Dylon Therrien (373 yards) have made defenses pay similarly for overlooking Edward Little’s ground attack. The duo has combined for 13 touchdowns and is also well-utilized in the Eddies’ passing game (19 catches, 320 yards total).

“The truth is, they run the ball a lot better than they’re given credit for,” County said. “I think there are times when they line right up and can come right at you and are pretty darn successful, both in the I and the power-I.”

Up front, the matchup boils down to Lewiston’s quickness versus Edward Little’s size. Both coaches concede, however, that for all the balance their respective passing and running weapons provide, the focus will be on limiting the big plays each team gets out out of their bread and butter.

“We want to try to keep Wesley under 175 yards on upper-30 carries. We want to keep his yards-per-carry down and maybe, just maybe, he’ll get a little fatigued. They’ve got good depth at tailback, though,” Hartley said.

“Even if you don’t make a mistake against them, they can catch the football,” County said. “Even if you’re in great position, Goddard has the confidence to throw to the spot. His receivers are athletic and they’re tall. They jump and they catch probably better than any team we’ve seen this year. The challenge is, you can’t get frustrated. You have to stay with the game plan. You have to try and keep everything in front of you if you’re in the secondary, and you have to understand that possibly they’re going to get one over the top because they do it well, and you can’t let that rattle you.”

The winner of Saturday’s game clinches the No. 2 seed in the PTC playoffs. Each team also has a little extra incentive. EL hasn’t beaten Lewiston since the 2002 PTC championship, and 2002 was also the last time the Eddies topped the Devils on their home turf in the traditional regular season finale. Lewiston is playing for its first unbeaten regular season since 1978 and to increase its overall lead in the series, which currently stands at 87-64-12.