One of Indiana’s storied high school football rivalries – the Penn Kingsmen vs. the Mishawaka Cavemen – will be renewed starting in the 2023 season.
Penn High School Athletic Director Jeff Hart announced that Penn and Mishawaka signed a four-year deal for the traditional powerhouses to once again meet on the gridiron, starting with the 2023 season.
The resumption of the series will kickoff in 2023 at Penn. All start times are 7 p.m. ET.
- Friday, Aug. 25, 2023 – Mishawaka at Penn
- Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 – Penn at Mishawaka
- Friday, Aug. 29, 2025 – Mishawaka at Penn
- Friday, Aug. 28, 2026 – Penn at Mishawaka
In order to make the Mishawaka deal happen, Penn has changed its 2022 schedule. The Kingsmen have replaced LaPorte in 2022 with a game at Portage on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022 (7:30 p.m. ET).
Penn leads the all-time series vs. Mishawaka in Football 48-15-1.
Penn defeated Mishawaka, 21-13, in 2019 in the last meeting between the Kingsmen and the Cavemen.
The series hit pause as Mishawaka moved from the Northern Indiana Conference into the Northern Lakes Conference, and Penn had scheduling commitments for the next several seasons.
Penn Football Head Coach Cory Yeoman said that he respects the Mishawaka Football Program and looks forward to the renewed rivalry.
“This game has always been fun to play in and coach,” Yeoman said. “Both communities love football.”
Hart said that he is excited to welcome the Cavemen back onto the Kingsmen schedule.
“We are happy to renew the series in 2023 with Mishawaka and are pleased that we are able to include them in our early season out-of-conference schedule,” Hart said. “It is an exciting rivalry for our football community and both schools and we look forward to this annual match-up for years to come.”
Penn coaches and players are both excited for the fun challenge that always comes with facing off against their biggest rival.
Tommy Powlus, a freshman inside linebacker for Penn and younger brother of past star and Notre Dame recruit Quarterback Ron Powlus, can’t wait for the chance to gear up and go to war against the Cavemen.
“For us to come back and play this team again after watching my big brother’s team play them is exciting and (the games) have always been a dogfight,” Powlus said.
Powlus believes this is the perfect chance to show off how good Penn is with everyone sure to be watching when this big rivalry resumes.
“This rivalry is important to me to show how great of a team we are and the fight that we will have on the field,” Powlus said.
It is safe to say that everybody in both communities can not wait to watch both schools battle it out under the lights in the upcoming years as it is one of the most storied and beloved rivalries not just in Penn history, but in Indiana as a whole. Both sides have enormous respect for one another and their football programs.
