RIPON, Wis. - The first time Ripon and Lawrence met on the gridiron, Grover Cleveland was the President of the United States. This weekend, the two schools will meet again in what is the oldest college football rivalry in the state of Wisconsin, dating back to 1893. This will be the 115th meeting between the teams in a series which Ripon leads, 61-46-7.

"This has been a rivalry that has had some real fireworks over the years and that's what you want in a rivalry," Ripon Head Coach Ron Ernst said. "We've had some great games in this series this is a game where you can throw the records out the window."

Since 1988, the team that wins this annual game is awarded the Doehling-Heselton trophy, which is named for legendary Ripon and Lawrence coaches, Carl Doehling and Bernie Heselton, respectively. That trophy has had a permanent home in Ripon during the past decade and a half, as the Red Hawks have won the last 15 meetings, averaging 44 points per game in those contests. Ripon has won 19 of their last 20 games against the Vikings, while Ernst is 20-4 in his career against Lawrence.

"In the games I've coached against Lawrence, the best team doesn't always win because this has been a game where the underdog really steps up and plays well," Ernst said. "It's great for college football and for our conference and we're taking this game very seriously."

Coach Ernst has more wins against Lawrence (20) than any other team in the MWC, accounting for 13 percent of his career victories. He is also on the verge of history this weekend, as he currently has 158 career victories, just one shy of tying the conference record, which is held by Cornell's Jerry Clark, who coached from 1959-85 and again in 1987.

"I feel very fortunate to be a part of this program, but this isn't a goal that I had when I first began coaching at Ripon. Over the years, I've been very fortunate to have great players and assistant coaches, and when those things are put together, teams have success," Ernst said. "Jerry Clark was a great coach, so to be mentioned with coaches like him and other great coaches in the history of the Midwest Conference is a real honor."

He'll try for the record-tying victory this weekend when his team will go up against a Lawrence squad that has lost eight consecutive games against MWC North opponents. The Vikings rank 11th out of 12 teams in the MWC in points allowed, giving up 36.9 per game, while also allowing 35 or more points in each of their last three contests. They are also giving up 460 total yards and 284 rushing yards per game. Lawrence enters the weekend with a 1-7 overall record and an 0-4 mark in the MWC, but a couple things they've done well this year are take care of the football and get to the quarterback, as they rank second in the MWC in turnover differential (+8) and third in sacks (13).

"The biggest thing we have to do on Saturday is handle all of the different things that Lawrence will do," Ernst said. "They're a team that uses a lot of motion with misdirection, along with a lot of different formations, so we'll have to be in position, get lined up correctly, and be ready for anything."

Offensively, the two teams have scored nearly the same amount of points, with Ripon averaging 18.8 points per game and Lawrence scoring 18.4. Where the two teams have differed, however, has been on the defensive end of the field where Ripon is fifth in points allowed (20.2), total defense (355.9 ypg) and rushing defense (150.4 ypg). Six of Ripon's eight games this season have been decided by less than 10 points, with four being decided by two points of less. The Red Hawks have also allowed 15 or fewer points in three of their last four games, including one shutout.

"Our goal is to win our last two games and end the season on a three-game winning streak," Ernst said. "We took the first step in that process last week and now we have to take the next step to finish the season strong."

Saturday's game will begin at 1 p.m. at The Banta Bowl in Appleton, Wis., and can be seen live at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.