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BRIDGEWATER, Va. – It'll be a battle of two old friends on Saturday when the Bridgewater Eagles football team travels to Saint Vincent to take on the Bearcats in the 2010 season opener.

On one sideline – the winningest coach in Bridgewater football history, Michael Clark. On the other sideline – the longtime offensive coordinator of the Eagles, Bob Colbert. Despite the longtime friendship between the two, for three hours on Saturday, the two will be bitter foes at Chuck Noll Field in Latrobe, Pa.

"Anytime you play against your friends, you want to say that they are competing against a well prepared team. That being said, there are 60 minutes on Saturday where that person's interests have no bearing on what we want to do," commented Clark.

It's a tale of two tapes. Clark with 102 career wins, and Colbert with just one win after taking over the newly resurrected Bearcats squad in 2007. Despite a winless season in 2009, Clark feels the Bearcats shouldn't be overlooked.

"Saint Vincent reminds me a lot of our teams from the late 90's. They're very close, but they just haven't learned how to get over the hump yet. We're prepared for a solid team that could be very dangerous," said Clark.

Saint Vincent returns every statistical offensive leader from the 2009 squad.

Junior tailback Zach Mihalko leads the returners in running back stable. Mihalko barreled for 297 yards a season ago, to lead the Bearcats offense.

Junior quarterback Jake Smith established a dual-threat nature behind center. Smith was the second-leading rusher and the leading passer for the Bearcats. The junior posted over 200 yards on the ground to go along with 967 yards and nine touchdowns through the air.

Smith's main target, Sheldon Lougher also returns after a solid season in 2009. Lougher hauled in 29 passes for 437 yards and three touchdowns a season ago to lead the Bearcats wide receivers.

"Saint Vincent has a strong armed quarterback leading them and as our fans know, they will take some shots at you. Their quarterback will hold you accountable to the entire field because of his arm," said Clark.

On the defensive side, leading tackler David Ribero returns after a monster season in 2009. Ribero recorded 86 tackles including 13 ½ for a loss and two and a half sacks.

Overall, the Bearcats defense was disruptive a season ago, recording 75 tackles for a loss and 21 sacks as a unit.

Bridgewater returns a solid unit of offensive weapons, but has question marks along both of the lines.

On the offensive end, Eagles trigger man Hagan Driskell (Ruther Glen, Va./Caroline) returns off of an improved season in 2009. The Ruther Glen, Va. native posted a career high of 1.876 yards while also doubling his touchdowns number with 18 in 2009.

Senior speedster Tyler Beiler (Ronks, Pa./Conestoga Valley) was the main target for Driskell in 2009, en route to the third-best season in school history by a wide receiver. Beiler hauled in 46 passes for 843 yards during an exceptional junior campaign.

In the backfield, the Eagles return Thomas Tate (Staunton, Va./Robert E. Lee) who exploded on the scene for Bridgewater in 2010. Tate became the fastest tailback to reach 1,000 yards in Bridgewater history. Tate rushed for 1,167 yards on the season and became the premier back during week two. During the season, the Staunton, Va. native rushed for 100 yards on seven different occasions, including a 192 yard outburst in week two at Shenandoah.

On the lines, Bridgewater will be seeking to get a number of players a lot of experience in short order as the group has a total of 23 starts between them, with two players accounting for 18 of those starts.

Defensively, Bridgewater returns the majority of its back seven, but has question marks along the defensive line. 

Along the defensive line, the Eagles have a combined nine starts while the linebackers and defensive backs each have players with double-digit starts to their resume.

Linebackers T.J. Montague (Reston, Va./South Lakes) and Scottie Littles (Norfolk, Va./Landstown) return to the mix in 2010 after each posted 48 tackles a season ago.

In the defensive backfield, Bridgewater replaces 2009 leading tackler Aubry Dicks, but has an array of experience to work with in rover Brandon Mitchell (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood), and cornerback Darius Burrus (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood).

The Eagles battles on the field may be overshadowed by the two coaches, but on Saturday, Clark feels his group will be ready to play.

"Our non-conference schedule is as much about us as it is about our opponents. We have a lot of youth, so we will have to see on Saturday whether our young kids show more energy and enthusiasm than they do youth," said Clark.

Bridgewater and the Bearcats kickoff in Saturday's season opener at 1:00 p.m. at Chuck Noll Field on the campus of Saint Vincent College. For fans that are unable to make the trip to Latrobe, Pa., live video and live audio will both be available. In the Bridgewater area, fans can tune in to ESPN 1360 WHBG starting at 12:30 p.m. for the Emmart Oil pregame show with Bill Phipps.