GLOUSTER — One team is off to its best start in six years. The other is off to its worst in a decade.

But even with that said, there is a lot of intrigue and interest surrounding the Eastern and Trimble matchup this Friday night when both teams begin the 2009 Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division gridiron season in a Week 6 matchup at Tomcat Stadium in Athens County.

Both the Eagles (3-2) and Tomcats (1-4) enter this weekend coming off losses in their non-conference finales. EHS lost to unbeaten Wahama 26-14, while THS was shutout by Fairland 14-0. The Eagles had their three-game winning streak snapped and the Tomcats lost their second straight.

Eastern — which currently sits ninth in the Division VI, Region 23 playoff rankings — enters TVC Hocking play with a winning record for the first time since 2004, when it finished 7-3 overall for its last winning campaign on the gridiron.

The Eagles, however, finished as the 2004 TVC Hocking runner-up — behind Trimble. The Tomcats have also won eight straight against the Green and White.

Eastern’s last win over the Tomcats came in 2000, a 34-6 decision at East Shade River Stadium during the Eagles’ only TVC Hocking championship season. Eastern’s last win at THS came in 1999 by a 14-12 count, when Trimble started that campaign with an 0-5 mark.

The Tomcats, however, have dominated the TVC Hocking Division for most of this decade, winning league titles in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008. THS has also fared very well in head-to-head matchups against Eastern, owning a 19-4 series record alltime.

The Tomcats are also 9-1 in their last 10 TVC Hocking openers, with the lone exception being the 2000 matchup at Eastern. The Eagles are 2-8 in league openers over that same span.

Trimble’s lone win this season came against winless Belpre in Week 3, a 52-25 decision at BHS. The Tomcats have home losses against unbeaten Nelsonville-York (7-6) and unbeaten Oak Hill (33-0), as well as road losses to FHS and unbeaten Alexander (35-32).

Trimble’s opponents are a combined 18-7 this fall, while Eagle opponents have gone 14-11 so far.

Trimble enters Friday averaging 18 points per game offensively while allowing 22.8 per contest. Eastern, on the other hand, is scoring 24.4 points offensively and allowing 18.2 defensively per outing.

The Tomcats, who haven’t scored in their last eight quarters, are primarily led by running back Tyler Dyla — who amassed 599 rushing yards this season.

The winner of this contest will take somewhat of an early lead in the chase for the TVC Hocking title, although nothing will be guaranteed. Outside of Eastern, only Southern (3-2) has a winning record amongst the rest of the TVC Hocking schools.

Kickoff of the Eastern-Trimble matchup will be on Friday at 7:30 p.m.