Yates Lions and Madison Marlins face off in South Side Classic rivalry game

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Yates vs. Madison, Lions vs. Marlins, Third Ward vs. Hiram Clarke, bragging rights, South Side Classic...

Whatever you want to call the ABC13 Game of the Week, you should understand community and pride will be on display Friday night at Butler Stadium in the neighborhood rivalry between Yates and Madison.

"Bragging rights. That's what's on the line," Madison Head Coach Jason Davis said. "I'm pretty sure both communities always communicate with each other, and it's just bragging rights for when you are sitting around a crawfish boil and say, 'I got you this year.'"

Both head coaches enter their second year at 0-1 coming into the rivalry. Both are trying to restore their programs to their past glory.

"Most people don't understand the tradition of Yates," Rafael Thomas said. "We have won 4 PVIL (Prairie View Interscholastic League) state titles, and we were the first inner city school to win a UIL state championship in 1985. It's a place full of history and tradition, and they hold you to that standard."

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In 2015, Yates failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in 38 years. They were district champs for 28 straight years from 1970 to 1996, but they have not been dominant recently, finishing 0-10 in 2018 and ending 5-6 the last two years.

That is what Thomas would like to change. Some notable Yates football alums include Johnny Bailey, Dexter Manley, Damion Square, and Santana Dotson.

Davis brings state championship experience to Madison. He was the defensive coordinator for the Austin LBJ team, which finished state runners-up in 2021, before taking over the Marlins.

"We have a young group," Davis said. "We tell them to let us develop you and, on Friday night, do everything we taught you. Do what we ask of you, and everything will fall into place."

The most notable football alum is Rose Bowl MVP Vince Young.

Yates won the 2021 game 45-7.

Madison won last year, 42-6.

Davis added the community has said this is a big event, so don't "lose it." To that, he responds, "I want to be able to tell Coach Thomas I beat him two years in a row for the community. We want to own this rivalry, so that is what I'm setting out to do."

The game will be at 7 p.m.

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