GODDARD, Kan. (KSNW) — The Roar on 54 returns Friday night as Goddard and Eisenhower clash in the postseason for the first time in six years.

Goddard hasn't quite found the same success it had last season, but the Lions still have the pieces to surprise. Despite significant turnover on both sides of the ball, quarterback Brock Sullivan and running back Eric Olivas have remained consistent.

Head coach Tommy Beason's group has learned plenty of lessons over the last several weeks.

With the rivalry taking center stage once again, Goddard is looking to put its Week 3 loss to Ike behind it.

"We're coming to play. We're coming to play hard. And our offense is coming along nice, where guys are blocking, doing their jobs. That's just what's going to take," said Olivas.

Beason believes his team has improved since that earlier meeting and sees Friday as an opportunity to prove it.

"I think we're a better team this week than we were in Week 3, when they kind of punked us. So what's really going to be a measure for us is, can we play better than we did six weeks ago? Are we a better team today than we were in Week 3? I want to believe we are, but we're going to find out on Friday if that's true or not," said Beason.

On the other side, Eisenhower has shown significant improvement under head coach Darrin Fisher.

The Tigers return several key defenders from last season and enter the postseason with a 5-3 record.

Despite the rivalry and the playoff stakes, Fisher says his team is focused on taking things one game at a time.

"That's exciting. Week 9, you know, opening the playoffs is where we're going to have a packed house. For our guys, we just really want to try to take it one game at a time. We don't want to look at it as a rivalry game. We're just trying to play our best football," said Fisher.

For Eisenhower senior wide receiver Braylon Lies, Friday's matchup carries an extra layer of excitement. Lies previously attended Goddard as a freshman before transferring to Eisenhower.

"I'm really excited. I used to go to Goddard freshman year, so transferring from there and then now playing against all my guys again, it's going to be fun," said Lies.

Kickoff between Goddard and Eisenhower is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday.