South Salem and Sprague have been playing football against each other since 1972, but Friday's meeting will go down in history as one of the most memorable in the series.
After rallying from down 20 points in the first quarter, the Olys recovered a Junior Espitia fumble on the Sprague 4-yard line with less than a minute to play to pull off a stunning 21-20 win.
Jackson Engleking, a junior defensive back for the Olys, pounced on the loose ball, sending the Sprague sideline and fans into a frenzy of celebration.
"It's one of the greatest feelings I've felt in a long time," said Engleking, getting congratulations from his teammates after the game. "Our safety came up and got his helmet on the ball and I saw it and just jumped on it."
The atmosphere was starkly different on the other side of the field, where the Saxons were left wondering how another game could slip away as they dropped to 0-6 on the season.
Espitia, South Salem's senior leader, stood alone in stunned silence.
"I'm a little upset, a little frustrated with myself," Espitia said. "I'll take the last fumble, definitely. It's my fault. I should have held on to the ball."
It was a dramatic turnaround from the start of the game, when the Olys (3-3, 2-0 CVC) were demonstrating the football equivalent of Murphy's Law.
Sprague's first possession ended with a botched punt snap, giving South Salem the ball at the Olys' 8-yard-line.
Espitia needed one play to give South a 7-0 lead, running in for a touchdown with less than two minutes expired.
Even when the Olys did properly execute a punt, it ended in disaster as Saxons' returner Jake DuFault took a kick back 57 yards for a TD to give South a quick 13-0 advantage.
Espitia capped off South's first quarter explosion with an 11-yard run to the end zone on a quarterback draw, and the Saxons led 20-0.
Espitia finished with 19 carries and 56 yards. He also threw for 97.
Sprague coach Robin Hill huddled his team at midfield between the first and second quarters. Whatever he said made a difference, because the Olys didn't allow another point.
"That first quarter was one of the most disastrous events I've ever been a part of, but I knew that games are four quarters and that if we went out and played our style of football, we'd have a chance to come back and win," Hill said.
Devvon Gage got the comeback started for Sprague as the fullback rumbled 19 yards for a score with 6:35 left in the first half.
The Saxons started with the ball to begin the third quarter, but their drive ended abruptly when Austin Wilson picked off Espitia at the Olys' 40 yard line.
Sprague took the momentum and got to within 20-14 four plays later as John Marshall burst through the Saxons' defense for a 41-yard touchdown run, the first of his two rushing scores.
South was forced to punt from deep in its own territory on its next possession and Sprague took over at the Saxons' 46.
Facing a third-and-12 at the South 48, Olys quarterback Jon Schaub found Lincoln Cook on the sideline for 21 yards to keep the drive alive.
Schaub completed 4 of 14 attempts for 39 yards while throwing two interceptions.
After a personal foul penalty on South Salem set up Sprague up at the Saxons' 8, Marshall ran in to tie the game, with the extra point giving the Olys a 21-20 lead with 2:09 left in the third quarter.
The Saxons' final drive started at the Sprague 43 and Espitia gradually moved South downfield.
With 1:40 left, South faced a fourth down. Needing 3 yards, Espitia found Kyle Moore crossing over the middle for 9 yards and a first down.
Two plays later, Dustin Watson hauled in an Espitia pass at the the Olys' 6 with less than one minute left.
Craig Adams got the Saxons down to the 4 to set up the game's defining moment.
Espitia took the snap from the shotgun and ran left. He got back to the line of scrimmage but got hit and the ball popped into the air before hitting the ground and coming to a rest in Engleking's arms.
"It just brought tears to my eyes," said Sprague's Wilson. "That's something that you can only dream of."
Added Marshall about the comeback: "We knew we had it in us. We were going to fight and we weren't going to give up."
As fans filed out of Bennett Field, Saxons coach Scott DuFault stood against a railing, frustrated.
"Sprague played a hell of a game," he said.