VICTORIA -- Eight years later, the Oilers have their “Knight.”

Some rivalries need a trophy.

Some need a traveling cup.

And some simply need a little history, pride and a scoreboard that everyone remembers.

Central Plains and Victoria have never needed a name for their rivalry.

It's an unspoken rivalry that needs no introduction when the Oilers finally had something to say about their recent history.

Central Plains defeated Victoria 28-18 Friday, earning its first victory over the Knights since 2018.

Eight years is a long time to wait for a win. You might as well do it on opening night.

Victoria marched deep into Central Plains territory 10 yards from the endzone.

Oiler Richard Hayes delivered a momentum-changing tackle creating a fumble that Broc Klima recovered.

Oiler quarterback Brodie Crites connected with Teagan Schepmann for a 2-score swing.

Crites scrambled into the endzone for second touchdown with two seconds left in the game. A 2-point conversion handed the Oilers a 14-12 halftime lead.

Keeton Robison provided plenty of headaches for the Knights’ defense with two second-half touchdowns, sliding past defenders.

The matchup was filled with enough familiar connections to make it interesting before the first whistle.

Claflin native Devin Ryan is Victoria's athletics director. Knights head football coach Doug Oberle is also a Claflin graduate.

The contest had plenty of intensity, and at times perhaps a little more than anyone ordered. Penalties and a few unsportsmanlike moments made for a chippy evening.

And this time, the scoreboard belonged to the Oilers, a 28-18 victory that ended Victoria's winning streak.

Victoria won the previous seven meetings, including last year’s heartbreaking 22-20 victory.

But Friday night belonged to Central Plains.

There is something particularly satisfying about opening a season by knocking down a team that has had your number.

The Oilers and Knights compete in different 8-man football divisions — there’s still plenty of room for both teams to dream big.

Here’s hoping both programs have healthy, successful seasons. Here’s hoping both are still playing meaningful football when the calendar turns to November. Here’s hoping the players make memories that las longer than a Friday night scoreboard.

And maybe, just maybe, both teams can make it far enough that their communities spend a few weeks wishing the 8-man divisions worked differently.

For now, though, Central Plains gets to enjoy something it hasn’t been able to say since 2018:

The Oilers beat the Knights.Twenty-eight to eighteen.The rivalry may still be unspoken.

But after Friday night, the Oilers have officially had their say.

This fun story is from the "Unofficial Oiler," who will be covering the Central Plains games this season. Stay tuned.