Before last week’s Region I-5A quarterfinal softball series between Abilene High and Wylie, two local teams hadn’t met in the playoffs since 2001. 

With the AHS and Wylie baseball teams set to repeat the feat this week at McMurry’s Walt Driggers Field, the Eagles and Bulldogs will be snapping an even longer drought in their sport.

That opener of that series, set for 7 p.m. Thursday, will mark the first crosstown baseball game in the postseason since 1996, when Cooper edged Abilene High 6-5 in a one-game playoff on their way to the state semifinals. And with a trip to the region quarterfinals on the line, both the Eagles and Bulldogs are preparing for what promises to be a weekend to remember for local players, coaches and fans.