Battle of Crystal Lake featured on NBC 5

After a record 16,198 votes online, this week's crosstown showdown between District 155 rivals Crystal Lake South and Crystal Lake Central at Metcalf Field will be featured as NBC 5's “Prep Destination of the Week.”

For the Tigers, it's their second appearance in as many years on the segment, while the Gators will be featured for the first time since 2009.

NBC 5 cameras will arrive at Central early Friday to highlight its game of the week after it narrowly edged out Brother Rice-Marist by a mere 140 votes, or 0.9 percent of the total vote.

The segment will continue to highlight all the essentials for casual prep followers and fans of both teams to help them find the school if they haven't been there before, where to park, locating gas and food, etc. This year there's also a focus on the great students, fans and communities behind all the schools around Chicagoland by broadcasting live Friday morning on location.

The Tigers and Gators will tangle Friday for the first time since 2006. NBC 5's Rob Elgas is a 1992 graduate of CL Central.

In 2009, CL South was featured on the segment for the Week 8 Fox Valley Super Bowl matchup with Cary-Grove. Last year, CLC was highlighted for its Week 1 battle with the same defending state champion Trojans. A big 27-14 victory helped spur the Tigers to their first back-to-back IHSA second-round playoff appearance in school history.