I tend to measure the impact and prestige of a high school rivalry game based on how often I hear about it in places not associated with either school.

This year, I think I fielded my first question about it in August.

Clayton visits Cleveland tonight with the usual stakes on the line — bragging rights and ownership of the Greater Neuse River 4A title — but the eyes of the region will be on Polenta Road tonight because of the numbers 18 and 1.

Eighteen, of course, is the combined number of wins for the two unbeaten teams and one is the seed in the NCHSAA 4A East Football Playoffs that could go to the winner of tonight’s game.

On gameday, our friends at High School OT ($) project Cleveland as the No. 1 seed. A win over Clayton wouldn’t do any harm to that for the Rams, but a Clayton victory would put the Comets in the conversation for the top seed — and a quick glance at the top of the 4A ranks reveals that they’d have a real shot at it.

If you’re going, take note of this:

If you can’t make it, there are FIVE different media options for you. CRN, JOCO Radio and Curtis Media on the radio/internet side, High School OT online and WRDC on TV.

So, what are they going to see?

The Massey Index has Cleveland as a 7.5-point favorite, which is interesting. The Rams, when measured by their usual high standards, have been pretty ordinary the last two weeks.

A 10-point win over Southeast Raleigh (with seven of those points occurring in the final minute) and a 29-28 escape against Garner last week could be the sign of a downward trend or, more likely, an indicator of a team that always had an eye on this game.

I didn’t see the Garner game, but the Southeast Raleigh contest leads me toward the second conclusion.

When Clayton has the ball

This is a good week for me to have gotten Coach Chadwick’s game notes, since the Comets don’t enter their stats into MaxPreps.

What we know is that quarterback Aiden Smalls is the heartbeat of the Comet offense. His dual-threat ability, like Johnathan Montague’s last season, will test the Cleveland defense. He’s been offered by State, Duke and Virginia Tech, and is also an elite-level point guard.

The ability to hand the ball to someone else every now and then will be key (and you’ll see this theme again). Terris Hobbs has been forced into action because of injuries, and he’s gotten better as the year has progressed.

Noah Smith, who’s been hampered by a hamstring injury for most of the season, could figure into this mix as well.

The same can be true for the unit as a whole, which broke in 11 new starters this season.

Meanwhile, Cleveland’s defense starts in the middle with the human wrecking ball Sawyer Lowe. The senior has 125 tackles, 20 for loss, three sacks, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. He’d pop the corn, too, if it would help his team win.

But this side of the ball has also been off the pace lately. Southeast Raleigh posted almost 550 yards of total offense two weeks ago, and Garner had the ball with a chance to win last week’s game (though a turnover did seal the win for the Rams).

when cleveland has the ball

Senior quarterback Jackson Byrd has rewritten the record books in his time on Polenta Road. This season, he’s thrown for 2,579 yards and 28 scores while adding 506 yards and 10 more scores on the ground.

Four different receivers have at least 27 catches and the offensive line has gotten better as the year has progressed.

But like their darker blue neighbors, the running back position has been spotty. Sophomore Kaleb Ferrell has grown into the role, posting 644 yards and seven scores this season. But last week, the Rams rushed for only 25 yards — a figure that might not cut the mustard tonight.

The Clayton defense is the best in Johnston County. After allowing three touchdowns in the season opener, the Comets haven’t allowed more than two in a game since. At

The secondary is talented, led by Akedran Crumel, who’s sifting through a hatful of Power 4 offers. The same is true for junior defensive end KeShawn Stancil, who is a disruptive force in both the passing and ground games.

This is a strength-on-strength matchup, and it will ultimately decide the game.

Special teams

Clayton has a slight edge here. Chris Mejia is 39-of-42 on his extra points and 7-of-9 on field goals for the Comets, while a couple of Cleveland kickers are a combined 32-of-41 on point after tries and 2-of-5 on field goals.

The Comets have also been a little more explosive in the return game.

the skinny

Cleveland won last year’s game on a last-second touchdown pass to run the winning streak to seven in the series. You have to go back to the spring 2020 season to find a game that close since Clayton’s last win in the 2017 playoffs.

It really comes down to this: Is Cleveland is better than its has shown in the last two weeks against Southeast Raleigh and Garner — two teams that Clayton swatted?

Or is this the year Clayton breaks the string, earning its first conference title in football since 2017?

I’m fascinated, which is why I’ll have an iPad playing this game in Princeton’s press box tonight. Should be fun.