Today’s Clymer/Sherman/Panama-Randolph Class D matchup can be looked at two ways.

On one hand, the 12:30 p.m. game at Jack Keeney Community Field in Panama could be the biggest regular-season game in years for both programs.

On the other hand, the result could turn out to be rather meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

“We try to find a balance in games like this, especially regular-season games,” C/S/P head coach Ty Harper said Friday evening. “The goal is to win the game, but at the same time it’s still early. It’s Week 4 and we have a long way to go.”

The Wolfpack enter this afternoon’s game as the top-ranked Class D team in the state, according to the New York State Sportswriters Association. The Cardinals are ranked No. 4.

Today’s winner will be in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the Section VI playoffs, which would give them home-field advantage for the first two rounds.

“I think you play it up because you’ll know where you stand after (today),” Randolph head coach Brent Brown said. “Our goal is to get a home playoff game. If you win this one, that’s a big step toward getting that.”

Ultimately, if both teams keep winning, that won’t matter for a possible rematch because it would be played in early November at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.

If that’s the case, the only thing today’s result will determine is which color uniform each team will wear that day.

“You don’t want to make it too big for the kids and you don’t want to put added pressure on yourself,” Harper said. “We are focused on being fundamentally sound and everybody doing their jobs on each play.”

Randolph enters 3-0 having outscored its opponents 127-54, but two of the Cardinals’ wins are of the nonleague variety. Their lone league victory came at home against Franklinville/Ellicottville, currently the third-best team in the division.

A strong offensive line has been key to Randolph’s success thus far this season. Junior Xander Hind has rushed 92 times for 750 yards and nine touchdowns while senior Luke Pagett has 34 carries for 239 yards and four touchdowns.

“Any time you have a back putting up numbers like that, it’s a combination of factors. He’s a really talented kid and he runs hard. He’s shown to be pretty durable in the first three games,” Harper said. “You have to look at the offensive line, fullback and tight end, too. There are guys opening massive holes for this kid and they deserve a lot of credit, too.”

The Cardinals don’t throw the ball much with tight end Jaiden Huntington catching all four of sophomore Carson Conley’s completions for 57 yards and a touchdown.

“As we get further into the season, I don’t know if Xander can carry it 44 times every week,” Brown said. “We’ll get Christian (Burch) in there some, too, and try to balance that out a little bit.”

C/S/P also enters today with a 3-0 record, but two of the Wolfpack’s victories have been in the league over Cattaraugus-Little Valley and Portville. Harper’s team has outscored opponents 121-27.

Junior Gabe Roth has run the ball 39 times for 229 yards and two touchdowns; junior Trent Burchanowski has 28 carries for 227 yards and five touchdowns; and junior Austin White has 19 carries for 104 yards.

“We always aim to be balanced on offense if we can be. I think that’s important in high school football,” Harper said. “Once you get into the biggest games of the year, you have to be able to run the ball. We’re going to strive to be balanced.”

C/S/P has been a little more two-dimensional than Randolph with senior quarterback Kurtis Olson completing 26 passes for 412 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior tight end Micah Willink has nine catches for 182 yards and three touchdowns and freshman Bryce Hinsdale has nine catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.

“Our run defense has been pretty good. It’s our pass defense that we’ve been working on,” Brown said. “Ty will mix it up, call play-action, run out of the shotgun … they’ll definitely mix it up.”

After today, Randolph will still have three league games remaining to determine its postseason position. The Cardinals host Portville next Friday, travel to Silver Creek/Forestville the following Friday and host Cattaraugus-Little Valley on Oct. 15.

C/S/P, on the other hand, will have two league games left, at Franklinville/Ellicottville on Oct. 8 and at Silver Creek/Forestville on Oct. 22.

If all goes to planned in those games, the Wolfpack and Cardinals will meet again in the sectional final Friday, Nov. 12 with a trip to the Far West Regionals on the line.

“It’s only Week 4 so both teams are going to get better before the playoffs,” Brown said. “(A loss) is not going to be the end of the world for either team.”