It’s No. 3 vs. No. 1 in the highlight game of the opening weekend of high school football.

That would be Class 6A No. 3 Ben Davis taking on Class 5A No. 1 Cathedral in the state’s first game at 6 p.m. Friday in the Horseshoe Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Ben Davis has beaten Cathedral 24-21 in each of the last two season openers, including a thrilling overtime game two years at Lucas Oil.

There are a number of firsts this season. Ben Davis is in the new Class 6A created by the IHSAA this year while Cathedral moved up to 5A after winning the state championship in Class 4A each of the last two seasons.

Ben Davis is rated No. 3 in the preseason polls, a poll that includes the top six teams in 6A all coming from the Metroplitan Interscholastic Conference. Both No. 1 and defending state champion Lawrence Cantral and No. 6 Pike joined the MIC this year, replacing Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South.

Other MIC games this weekend include Pike against North Central,  Lawrence Central against Lawrence North, Center Grove at Warren Central and Carmel at Tech.

As the Gaints approach their opener, a few seniors talked about the upcoming season:

Malik Bittle, offensive linemen

“I’m looking forward to winning state. I expect to win (against Cathedral) and set the tone for the rest of the season.”

Albert Williams, defensive end

“I expect to win the state championship. My expectations for Friday’s game are for everybody to play hard and fast and to win.”

Tony Allen, defensive back

“I am looking forward to getting a ring at the end of the season actually. I expect for everyone to come out hyped and have a lot of fans in the stands cheering us on.”

Sean Boswell, wide receiver

“I’m looking forward to continuously showing progress game after game and working towards playing on thanksgiving weekend. I expect the first game to be really well executed. If we execute like we can then we will win.”

Nathan Adams, middle linebacker

” I’m very excited for Friday’s game. It’ll be very intense and very hard. My goals are to win state so the seniors can go out with a bang.    Our hardest opponent in my opinion will be Saint X because of the long bus ride and they’re nationally ranked.”

James Jackson, defensive back

“I’m hyped for the game Friday. I’m ready to turn up! My goals for the season is to be top 10 in tackles and at least one interception. I think our hardest opponent will be Pike because they have a lot of returning starters just like we do.”