When Iron Mountain visits Ronberg Field to face the Norway Knights on Friday, it’ll be a familiar setting with new implications.

With both teams in separate divisions of the West PAC, the early crossover game could have playoff implications later in the season.

But for now it’s back to the same old rivalry, one that has heavily favored Iron Mountain. The Mountaineers hold a 49-15-1 all-time mark against the Knights.

Friday’s 6 p.m. kickoff is another opportunity for Norway to put another dent in the rivalry record. The Knights buried Iron Mountain 43-7 last year.

This season’s matchup will be, as usual, an interesting duel.

Iron Mountain (2-1) has emphasized getting its athletes into open space and battling the defense with one-on-one battles by operating out of the spread. Norway (2-1), on the other hand, runs its traditional Wing-T that emphasizes angle blocking, punching backs through the line and running downhill.

“I think we’re very evenly matched. I think we’re a little more blue collar type team — a little more offensive and run the ball,” Norway head coach Bob Madigan said. “They’re very athletic. We know the athletes they have — look at their basketball season. They’re very athletic, very quick. They have a lot of skills. It’s a different type of philosophy. We’re going to be about controlling the ball, they’re going to be a big play, score a touchdown every play.”

Weather could also be a factor for Friday’s game. Friday’s forecast is 80 degrees and 76 percent humidity.

Norway has outscored opponents 107-86, an average of 36 points scored per game versus 29 points allowed.

Iron Mountain has outscored opponents 61-43 (20 points per game scored to 14 points allowed).

“We gotta take the short trip down to Norway for a rivalry game and play a well balanced Norway football team,” Iron Mountain head coach Robin Marttila said. “Everyone’s capable from the quarterback to the fullback to the halfback and receivers. I think they’re very well balanced.”

Iron Mountain’s athletes include quarterback Marcus Johnson, wide receiver Charlie Gerhard and running back Caleb Evosevich-Hynes.

Last week, the Mountaineers’ versatile offense compiled 203 passing yards and 138 rushing in last week’s 42-0 rout against Houghton, the first meeting between the schools.

Norway’s night didn’t go as well, a 46-19 drubbing at the hands of the Ishpeming Hematites. But Madigan said he liked the way his team kept battling, gradually performing better against coach Jeff Olson’s Hematites. Madigan said he thinks it helped set a fighting mindset as the Knights progress through the season.

“Ishpeming, I was proud of our kids, I really was. I know in the end it was 46-19,” Madigan said. “Our kids actually played pretty hard and pretty inspired football. I believe Ishpeming is one of the better teams in the state of Michigan for their division.

“We’re done with them. We played them. We stuck our nose in there and did the best we could do. We lost. We teach our kids to overcome adversity, come back and get ready for the next week. We got better during the Ishpeming, just the speed and the physicality. I think that’s going to help us going on.”

Marttila said running the spread could be an advantage simply because Norway hasn’t seen it yet this season.

“We’re in the spread a little more this year, so it’s a learning curve as far as how they would defend us,” Marttila said. “I’ve seen film of them this year and other teams haven’t been in the spread like we have, primarily. That’s a learning curve there and that’s a little uncertainty until the game starts. It’s not conventional in terms of high school football.”

Despite knowing Norway has run mostly the same offense and defense for a number of years, Marttila said the toughest thing about Norway is the way the Knights rotate players at running back and receiver as well as defensively. Key on one player and another steps up with a big play.

“It’s a little bit harder because everybody has to read their assignments,” Marttila said. “They’re very basic in their sets. They only have one or two sets and they execute them pretty well. There’s not like you gotta stop this or stop that. You’ve gotta stop a whole bunch of things because they’re so well balanced. Play a lot of kids on the offensive side of the ball.”