WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers MOST IMPORTANT GAME OF THE YEAR—City bragging rights will be on the line tonight when Shane Digirolomo, center, and the Simi Valley High football team plays at Royal. Kickoff is set for 7. Michael Cooper has a unique perspective on the Royal-Simi Valley football rivalry.

Cooper lives on the Simi Valley side of town—yet he has spent the past four years wreaking havoc on the football field for Royal as a tight end and defensive end.

Cooper's older brother, Eric, spent three years at Simi Valley before transferring to—can you guess where?—Royal for his senior season. Another Cooper brother, Brian, graduated from Simi Valley 10 years ago.

"It was kind of tough at first," said Cooper, who played youth football on the Simi Valley Vikings with Tommy Dowling and other Pioneers.

"I went to Valley View (Middle School), and I know every single kid on that team. I've hung out with them at one point or another."

Although both schools are eliminated from postseason consideration, tonight's 7 p.m. game at Royal is expected, as always, to be a dogfight.

Royal (3-6 overall, 1-5 Marmonte League) enters on a fivegame losing streak. The Pioneers (2-7, 2-4) have lost four straight in the rivalry, and 13 of the last 14 overall, but they hope to move ahead of the Highlanders in the final league standings.

For Royal head coach Gene Uebelhardt, the rivalry game means more than any other regular-season game.

"It's the biggest event in Simi Valley every year. Forget Simi Valley Days, this is bigger," said Uebelhardt, who is wrapping up his 21st season with Royal.

Simi Valley's fourth-year head coach Todd Borowski, a former school administrator and Calabasas athletic director, shared his perspective of the rivalry.

"I don't dislike Royal. Royal's in our district, and I like the guys over there," Borowski said.

"To me, it's another football game. It's a rivalry game, and we do want to win it. I understand the importance of the game in the community, but I don't speak down to Royal to my kids.

"I tell my kids that 10 years from now at their reunion, they won't remember records, but they will remember if they won this game."

For many of the seniors, it will be the last time they will ever play organized football, but every one of them are looking forward to competing in this matchup.

"I'm coming in with the mindset that this is the biggest game of my life," said Dowling, a senior halfback.

"For the seniors on both teams, we aren't going to the playoffs and we both have (similar) records, but we both have a lot to prove in this game. We want to prove it to ourselves, but also to our fans and our supporters."

Dowling can just look to his fellow students to see how deep the frustrations run.

During the most recent Simi Valley Unified School district board meeting on Oct. 28, board president Rob Collins asked student representative and Simi Valley senior Sarah Orloff who was going to win the Simi ValleyRoyal football game.

"I hate to say it . . . but Royal," Orloff said.

"You do know that this is being televised?" an incredulous Collins asked her.

Orloff blushed and quickly changed her answer.

Dowling was not amused when he heard that story.

"I know her personally, so I'll probably give her an earful," Dowling said. "When some students don't think you have a chance, that's just more motivation to play better and prove them wrong."

Royal and Simi Valley seniors are looking forward to ending their high school careers on a positive note, one they'll always remember.

"It's the biggest rivalry I'll ever play in," said Royal senior linebacker Michael Leipzig, whose favorite memory of the rivalry is his secondhalf interception that helped preserve last year's 28-21 win against Simi Valley.

"It always seems like the whole city is coming down to watch the game, and everybody's playing their best."

"For some of us, this will be the last football game we'll ever play," said Simi Valley senior left tackle Kyle White. "It would be great to take good memories with it. . . . I think it's going to be a really good game."