The Lewiston and Edward Little football teams will not be in the Class A playoffs in 2025.

However, there’s still plenty to play for when the rivals meet on the turf at Don Roux Field at 3 p.m. Saturday. Respect. Community pride. Bragging rights between rivals for a calendar year.

The season will end for both the Blue Devils (0-8) and Red Eddies (1-7) by Saturday night, but one will be propelled into the offseason with momentum it hopes to carry through to next fall.

Keys to a Lewiston victory

• Be disciplined on defense. Edward Little runs the triple-option offense, which requires the opposing defense to stick to its principles and keys, no matter who has the ball. The Blue Devils are young but if they can stick to their assignments, they’ll have a better chance of shutting down the Red Eddies’ offense.

• Circle the wagons. No matter the records, a rivalry game brings out another level of effort from players, especially a team still looking for its first win of the season. Lewiston has been through the wringer all season, dealing with players being academically ineligible, being forced to use younger players in key spots and spending the year learning from each game. A win over Edward Little would give the feeling that all the adversity was worth it, especially to keep the bragging rights for another year.

Keys to an Edward Little victory

• Establish the run early. As mentioned above, the Red Eddies rely on the triple-option offense. They have plenty of offensive threats, led by quarterback Evan Madigan. Like a point guard in basketball, it will be key for Madigan to make the right reads throughout the game.

• Harness its motivation to break the streak. Lewiston has won the past five games of the rivalry. It appears the Red Eddies have a chance to beat their rivals for the first time since 2018.

Lewiston difference makers

• Senior RB/DB and captain Christian Rosario

• Sophomore RB/LB Micah Daniels

• Sophomore RB/S Akyll Murchison

Edward Little difference makers

• Junior QB/OLB Evan Madigan

• Senior RB/OLB Quan Bullock

• Senior OL/DL Jack Martin

• Junior RB/S Tanner Melanson

• Senior RB/ILB Dawson Breton

Last meeting

• Nov. 1, 2024: Lewiston won, 41-0. The Blue Devils dominated in Auburn to earn their fifth consecutive victory over Edward Little. They finished the regular season 5-3 and were the second seed in the Class A North playoffs.

Coach’s comments

• “We’re playing with a bunch of freshmen, sophomores and underclassmen who are just not quitting, absolutely gritty, working hard, keeping a positive attitude. That’s the mental toughness of this game where, week in and week out, you’re losing against every team that you face. Yet you show up on Monday and you’re ready to work — lunch pail and hard hat, ready to work. It’s been really inspiring, probably my favorite team since becoming head coach at Lewiston.” — Blue Devils coach Jason Versey

• “Our practices are getting better as we go. I think the kids understand the expectations, trusting each other, trusting the staff. It does take a lot to install all the new things that we need to do, and it takes a little bit of time. Now that we have the terminology, they know what we mean when we say certain words. We’re better in a lot of ways. It’s been good. The reality is, too, we have a lot of young guys who are playing as well.” — First-year Edward Little coach Brian Jahna