As the weather gets colder, the more important high school football games become.

Bishop Luers and Southern Wells know that well.

That would explain why the Knights are going for their third sectional championship in the past five years Friday against Winchester in the Class 2A Sectional 27 championship at Luersfield.

Meanwhile, the Raiders are going after their second straight sectional crown, traveling to Southwood in Class A Sectional 35 action.

Bishop Luers will face a Winchester team that is enjoying one of its better seasons in school history. At 9-2, the Golden Falcons have advanced the furthest into the postseason since a run to the sectional finals in 2002.

This will be the first matchup between the Knights and Winchester in the history of their respective programs. The Knights are cruising into the sectional championship game after rolling over an upbeat Manchester team in the opening week of the postseason and following that with a 35-22 beating of Eastern.

The Golden Falcons beat Oak Hill in the first round and overcame a 19-0 deficit to Madison-Grant while forcing five turnovers in a 30-22 victory.

Winchester quarterback Cole Lawrence threw for 238 yards against Madison-Grant last week despite the inclement weather. Most of the completions came on short passes that were turned into big gains thanks to poor tackling by the Argylls.

Winchester is looking for its first sectional football championship in school history.

In Class A action, Southern Wells looks to improve on last season, a year in which the Raiders reached the semistate round before losing to Sheridan.

Southern Wells faces a familiar foe in Southwood, a team the Raiders beat 27-7 in the opening week of the season. Despite the Week 1 victory and a 35-0 shutout in last season's sectional, Raiders coach Mark Lefevbre won't write off his opponent Friday.

“(Southwood) has moved some personnel around during the season that benefited them,” Lefevbre said. “It made them a more diverse offense. Now they have three guys that can carry the ball efficiently.”

Tyler Roush leads Southern Wells in rushing with 937 yards and 12 touchdowns. Jacob Miller isn't far behind with 848 yards and 14 scores, with Kyle Jones scoring six touchdowns and rushing for 740 yards on 103 carries.

Besides a minor setback in back-to-back losses in weeks three and four, Southern Wells has gotten back on track, winning seven straight to reach the sectional finals. Lefevbre knows what it will take for his team to beat a solid opponent on the road.

“The team that commits the fewer mistakes will come out the winner,” Lefevbre said. “We have to pay attention to the turnover battle (and) cut down on turnovers, along with not allowing the other team to score in big chunks.

“If we can do those two things, we should be able to come out on top.”

Kickoff for both games is scheduled for 7 p.m.