Southern Lehigh may be atop the Colonial League West Division, and Salisbury has hopes of making it to the .500 mark as the regular season nears a close.

But records will be thrown out the window when the two rivals square off on Friday night in a battle of school districts linked by Route 309.

The Spartans (8-1) look to keep the momentum of a five-game win streak going when they host the Falcons (4-5) at 7 p.m.

“For people in the community and everything, it’s a rivalry,” Salisbury head coach Andy Cerco said. “For us and our program, it’s our next game. We’re just going to prepare as best as we can, and match up as best as we can with them.”

Southern Lehigh’s offense is a balanced one, capable of slicing opposing defenses through the air and on the ground.

It starts with junior quarterback Logan Edmond. In the team’s most recent win against Catasauqua, a 69-22 blowout, Edmond completed 9-of-14 passes for 88 yards and three touchdowns.

Edmond has thrown for 1,323 yards and 18 touchdowns through nine games. Cerco remembers scheming against Logan’s brother, Travis Edmond, in the past.

“They’re doing some different things schematically as well,” Cerco said. “That kind of changes how they play quarterback. He does roll out a little bit more than the other brother. He is still able to throw the ball accurately, so it’s always tough to defend.”

One of those scores a week ago went to wide receiver Elijah Price, but workhorse running back Luke Strauss caught the other two touchdowns and finished with three receptions for 66 yards.

Although Strauss makes a name for himself out of the backfield as the Spartans’ leading rusher.

Against the Rough Riders, Strauss rumbled for 265 yards and four touchdowns on just 17 attempts. He’s close to the 1,000-yard mark through nine games and figures to reach that mark as he needs 78 more on Friday night. He’s also scored 10 times on the ground this season.

“They’re a pretty good football team,” Cerco said. “Defensively, they run a base 4-3 and their defensive line is very active. Their linebackers are pretty good. Offensively, they have some pretty good running backs and some good receivers. We have a lot of things to account for.”

Southern Lehigh is currently seeded second in the Class 5A ranks. The Falcons are back in the district tournament for the second time in three years. Salisbury has clinched a spot in Class 3A.

“Salisbury football historically is a program that very rarely qualifies for districts,” Cerco said. “For our team, and the senior class in particular, to be able to be a part of teams that qualified two out of three years is pretty significant and telling of what kind of players we have in our program.”