It's been called the Delta Bowl for many years, but on Friday night it may as well be called the Wyatt Bowl.
Joel Wyatt, the former head coach at Malden, leads the Kennett football team into The Swamp for the first time since he was hired by the Indians back in March.
"I don't think the kids will have any problem getting motivated because they are tired of hearing me say, 'At Malden we did this,'" Wyatt said. "I love the Malden kids and coach Collier. They were so good to me. It will be a rough trip with a lot of emotions but I've got to put my blinders on and block that out and just look at this as a Dunklin County rivalry that is a big game."
Malden (6-1) went 69-15, won three straight district and conference titles and made an appearance in the MSHSAA Class 2 Show-Me Bowl under Wyatt. The Green Wave never lost more than four games in a season in Wyatt's nine years with the team.
Malden, which received four votes but remains outside of the latest Class 2 media poll, won last year's Delta Bowl 38-15 and own wins in their last seven meeting with the Indians, averaging 56 points per game in those contests.
Led by Tray Stevenson's 183 rushing yards and Broddric Annesser's 207 al-purpose yards, Malden claimed its fourth straight conference title with a 48-12 win over Charleston last week. Stevenson leads the Green Wave with 1,446 yards and 22 touchdowns on 164 carries this season while Annesser has accounted for 12 more scores.
Coming off a 22-0 shutout of Dexter to claim its first outright conference title since 1964, Kennett (5-2) is averaging 36 points per game and has allowed 23.
The Indians' offense is led by seniorquarterback Patrick Maddox, who has completed 59 of 98 passes for 992 yards along with 11 rushes for 538 yards. Maddox has run for eight touchdowns and thrown eight more.
Seniors Ty Ellis and Zane Wallace have been Maddox's primary targets in the air. Ellis has 19 catches for 371 yards while Wallace has 18 catches for 354 yards. Ellis has six touchdown receptions and Wallace has three.
Running back X'Zavier Whitfield is a threat out of the backfield with 466 yards on 85 carries and eight touchdowns.