It was a true rematch. Same place, same time, same teams.

But there was different motivation, and perhaps a different feel, in Friday night's football game between Liberty and Century high schools.

Last week the winner of the Liberty-Century game played for pride -- the winner earning the coveted cross-town bell. It now sits in Century's hallway, rung by all who pass it throughout the day.

But last Friday, Liberty and Century faced off for a second time in two weeks with the goal of becoming the first Carroll County team this year to make it to the second round of playoffs.

Century came out on top, 35-6, but even though the stakes were higher, the tension and the sense of community from the crowd seemed much improved from the previous week.

Sure, the buzz of this second faceoff was in the air -- even WBAL-TV came to interview the Knights before the big game, adding to the excitement and the sense of rivalry between the two teams.

But this time, there was no vandalism (the week before Century's field had been painted prior to the game), and not as much bitter talk between the two. The Liberty fan base -- and Century too -- stuck to the basics, cheering for their respective teams.

Whether it was because of the rain or the blowout score, the atmosphere of the stadium seemed much more at ease. The cars were not lined up all the way to Linton Springs Elementary School, as they were last week, and the crowds were not nearly as noisy.

There was no exchange of taunting and rude cheers from one side to the other, even though the energy of the stands was still palpable.

Last week the sanity from each side of the bleachers seemed to be balanced on a very thin line, with just a little nudge from one side potentially turning the crowds into chaos.

But the second time around, there seemed to be a mutual understanding from both schools that the first priority was to cheer on their team -- and maybe even celebrate the unique occurrence of having two local teams playing well enough to face one another in the playoffs.

That's an achievement that speaks well for both schools -- and one reflected well this week by the mood of the game.

After the first game was over the crowds swarmed out of the stands, some looking for a fight. But after this week's game, the stadium emptied out without a fuss, and even though there was no love lost between both sides, one could feel that a certain respect remained.

Hopefully, that respect will be the lingering impression from these two matchups; until next year, that is, when they'll clash again for pride, victory ... and that cross-town bell.

Stefanie McLellan is a senior at Century High School and an intern this semester at The Eldersburg Eagle.

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