South Medford senior Bridger Foss pushes into the end zone against North Medford at Spiegelberg Stadium Friday.

North Medford and South Medford will make history Saturday night in the 2024 6A state football championship game at Spiegelberg Stadium.

Saturday’s 5 p.m. showdown in Medford will be part of a doubleheader at the stadium, with No. 3 seed Henley taking on No. 1 Marist for the 4A state championship at 1 p.m., and mark the first time since Medford High split into two large-class schools in 1986 that the football programs will meet twice in one season.

Both teams enter the title game with 8-4 records. South and North made up the top two seeds in the lower-tier bracket at Nos. 13 and 14, respectively, when the playoffs were announced.

South Medford is coming off its second shutout in three playoff games — a 17-0 win over Newberg played in Roseburg — while North Medford showed poise and resolve in a second straight nail-biter last Friday with a 42-32 win over Jesuit in Eugene to reach the final.

All other sports regularly meet more than once per season in the crosstown rivalry, but the trajectory in football has never led up to the Panthers and Black Tornado meeting again in the state playoffs.

By virtue of their higher seeding, South Medford will be the designated home team, and North Medford will be the designated visiting team. Tickets are still available at osaa.org/tickets at $12 for adults and $6 for students.