The Highland Bulldogs and the Mascoutah Indians did not disappoint in this year’s rivalry matchup, which was featured as one of the over 100 games in the 2026 Great American Rivalry Series. The Highland Bulldogs struck first in this high scoring affair matchup of cross-town rivals. Touchdowns were traded back and forth in the first half until right before halftime. With just 3 minutes left on the clock, the Bulldogs came up with a big third down stop in the redzone to force the Indians to settle for a field goal to take the 24-21 lead. The Bulldogs quickly responded with a touchdown pass at the 1-minute mark to take the 28-24 lead going into to halftime. The Indians received the kick to start the second half and did not waste any time in their first drive out of the locker room. Sean Murphy, running back for the Indians, took it to the house early in the drive for a 77-yard touchdown run. The Indians and Bulldogs continued to trade punches throughout the rest of the game. With 4 minutes left on the clock, the Indians relied heavy on the run game and marched down the field to take the 52-49 lead with just 2 minutes left in the game. This looked like the nail in the coffin for the Bulldogs, but running back Carter Harris had something to say about that. Harris scored his third touchdown of the game with 25 seconds left on the clock, to lead his Bulldogs to a 56-52 victory over the Indians. Harris was named the Great American Rivalry Series MVP of the game with a standout performance of 266 rushing yards, 98 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns.