In the last four years, the Hopkins-Minnetonka rivalry has been split right down the middle during the regular season, with each team winning two of the four matchups.

This Friday, the Royals will try to do something they haven’t done in six years: beat the Skippers in back-to-back seasons.

Last year, the Royals beat the Skippers by dominating the Minnetonka defense both through the air and on the ground. In that game, quarterback Tyler Lee controlled the game, completing 84.2 percent of his passes. This year, quarterback Oscar Johnson, senior, will try to do the same.

“Tyler did a great job of taking care of the ball that game. I know that if I can play as well as he did, we will win this game,” Johnson said.

As they did last year, the Royals will look to stop Minnetonka’s passing game, forcing them to become a one-dimensional offense. In order to slow the Skippers passing attack, Hopkins will need to focus on one player: receiver Amar Miller.

While no other Minnetonka receiver has more than seven receptions on the year, Miller has hauled in 37 passes for 342 yards. In games in which Minnetonka has scored double-digit points, Miller has had eight or more receptions in all of them. As Miller goes, so too does the Skipper offense.

This Friday, the Royals will look to beat Minnetonka in back-to-back years at the Hopkins High School Stadium at 7 pm.