'Parkview vs. Brookwood: Need We Say More?'

This posting on the Parkview High School Baseball Facebook page is short and to the point:

"State Championship ... Parkview vs. Brookwood ... need we say more??"

That pretty much says it all, but it's been spoken before.

When the two rivals begin play Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Class AAAAA championship series it will be the next in a significant line of title games matching the neighboring rivals who once shared the same football stadium (it's true).

Catch up on Parkview in the playoffs

Examples:

Parkview beat Brookwood 28-7 for the 2002 football champion

The school's shared the championships in boys soccer in 2001 and girls soccer in 2003.

And chances are that with a combined 94 state championships between them (Parkview 49; Brookwood 45) the two schools located only six miles apart along Five Forks-Trickum Road have cross paths several times en route to championships.

When it's Parkview-Brookwood, it's always big.

"It's awesome. It really is," Brookwood coach Rick Howard told the Gwinnett Daily Post this week.

Parkview, , enters the series 29-6. The Panthers are led by a core of seniors, including pitchers Matt Olson and Jesse Foster, who are the nucleus of a program that has won 98 games and three consecutive Region 8-AAAAA titles over the past four years. Winning the best-of-three series will mean an even 100 victories during that span.

Brookwood, which has won baseball titles in 1986 and 2008, is 25-10 after beating Grayson in three games in semifinals.

Here's a suggestion from that Parkview Facebook post:

"Make your plans now to be at PHS early, wearing ORANGE, and ready to be LOUD!!! GO PARKVIEW!!!"

Saturday's action features a double-header (second game to start at 7 p.m.). If needed, a third game will be played Monday.