It’s big-boy football Friday night in Michiana. The two largest schools in the area collide for a sectional championship as Elkhart travels to Penn for the Class 6A Sectional title in the Sports Michiana Game of the Week.

Penn enters the showdown unbeaten at 10-0, ranked No. 6 in Class 6A and coming off another Northern Indiana Conference championship. The Kingsmen are looking to defend their sectional crown after opening the postseason with a dominant 41-14 victory over Valparaiso.

Elkhart comes in at 7-3 and has found its stride at the right time. The Lions opened the playoffs with a convincing 38-7 win over Portage and have now won three straight games since their regular-season loss to Penn.

That October meeting was one-sided, with Penn rolling to a 44-0 victory. But the stakes are considerably higher Friday night, with a sectional championship and a season’s worth of work on the line.

The Kingsmen have been dominant on both sides of the ball. Penn is averaging 48.2 points per game, the ninth-best scoring offense in Indiana, while allowing just 5.9 points per contest — the second-best scoring defense in the state.

Elkhart is averaging 33.2 points per game while giving up 24.2, setting up a major challenge against one of the state’s most complete teams.

Penn head coach Pete Riordan is 29-4 in his third season, including a remarkable 21-1 record over the past two seasons. Elkhart head coach Travon Curry is also in his third season and has compiled a 21-9 record with the Lions.

While Penn has won the last two meetings, Elkhart proved it can beat the Kingsmen, taking a 7-3 regular-season victory just two years ago.

Now, the Lions will try to pull off another upset, while Penn looks to keep its championship run alive.

The Sports Michiana Game of the Week kicks off Friday at 7 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.

Important viewing information: Per IHSAA guidelines, postseason broadcasts are not available on YouTube or Facebook. Friday’s Elkhart at Penn sectional championship will stream exclusively on the Sports Michiana page at IHSAATV.

Visit sportsmichiana.com/watch to go directly to our IHSAATV broadcast page.