When the eight-player, District 9 champion is crowned next month, the result of this Friday’s game between St. Edmond and Baxter could be what decides the winner.

Kickoff between the Gaels and Bolts is set for 7 p.m. inside Dodger Stadium.

Both St. Edmond (2-0 overall, 1-0 in league) and Baxter (2-0, 1-0) are receiving votes in the latest AP Top-10 poll. Both are also unbeaten overall and perfect through one district contest.

This is the first meeting between the two since 2011 when Baxter was still a consolidated program with Collins-Maxwell, who the Gaels topped last Friday night, 61-14.

“I’m excited about this opportunity against one of the top teams in our district and see where we are at,” SEHS head coach Matt Dillon said. “We’ve had a great week of practice, we’re coming off a big road win and we get (Baxter) at home.

“We need to control the tempo, try to create some turnovers and protect the ball.”

After rallying to down rival Bishop Garrigan in the season opener, St. Edmond had little trouble with the Spartans, jumping out to a 40-6 halftime lead. JT Laufersweiler threw for 266 yards with six touchdowns on just eight completions, adding another 77 yards and a score on the ground.

Leo Ehn caught three passes for 105 with two scores, Kinnick Henning had two touchdowns and both Jakob Koopman and Grant Galles caught TDs. Klay Baker ran for 74 yards with another touchdown.

Laufersweiler, a senior, has thrown for 492 yards and ran for another 106 with 11 combined touchdowns. He is averaging almost 33 yards per completion, as Ehn, Baker and Galles all have over 100 yards in the air.

Baker, a junior, has 272 yards from scrimmage and four total scores.

“We’re going to need our playmakers to make plays,” Dillon said. “Baxter is bigger and very physical, so we’re going to need JT to play another great game and our guys around him to follow.”

The Gael defense finished with three sacks, including two by Koleman Hanson, with 10.5 tackles for loss. They recovered two fumbles and picked off two more passes, as Hanson scored a defensive touchdown.

Hanson, a sophomore, has four sacks through two games with Baker sitting at 19.5 tackles and Henning 15.

St. Edmond won in 2011, 28-21, and the year before, 35-0.

Baxter opened the year a week early, posting a 52-23 victory over Springville. After taking Week 1 off, the Bolts downed Coon Rapids-Bayard last week, 28-21.

Perrin Sulzle has had a strong start to his career under center, throwing for 633 yards with eight touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 141 yards and another score. The junior is completing 62.5 percent of his passes with just two interceptions on 72 attempts.

Treyton Travis, a returning starter, has been his favorite target, catching 24 balls for 452 yards with seven touchdowns. Cade Robinson has 11 receptions and Cainan Travis seven for 98 with a score.

“They do a lot of multiple sets on offense and a lot of different things out of various formations,” Dillon said. “They really try to get their best player in a position to make plays.”

Sulzle and Treyton Travis picked Coon Rapids-Bayard apart, connecting 11 times for 206 yards with three scores. Sulzle finished with 411 yards of total offense.

On defense, Baxter is led by Cael Wishman, as the sophomore has four sacks and 16 tackles. Cody Samson, and both Treyton and Cainan Travis have 15 stops each as the unit has recorded seven turnovers with a touchdown.

The Bolts have gone 14-4 over the past two seasons, reaching the playoffs before falling to CAM, 58-38. Their only other loss last year was to quarterfinalist Montezuma, 64-62.