Sycamore and DeKalb high schools — and mayors — will be pitted against each other for the 15th annual Castle Challenge Friday at Huskie Stadium.

Tailgating starts 4 p.m. with tickets priced at $12 for adults and $6 for students. Tickets, which cover pork chop meals and admission, can be purchased at Castle Bank, the Kishwaukee YMCA and participating high schools. The sophomore game begins at 4:30 p.m. and the varsity game at 7:30 p.m.

Sycamore Mayor Ken Mundy, a Sycamore High School graduate, said he is happy for the two cities to come together another year.

“It is just a great fundraiser and a lot of fun,” Mundy said. “It is a fun evening and of course our football players are playing on a Div. I stadium, the Huskie Field. That in itself is a major deal for the players and the coaches.”

Mundy said he is confident in the Sycamore team after a 48-26 win over DeKalb last year.

DeKalb Mayor “John Rey, he is a nice guy, but I think our Spartans are still going to prevail over the Barbs one more year,” Mundy said.

Rey said he is happy to see such camaraderie, but he will stand by his city’s team.

“… Mayor Mundy and I have an excellent working relationship, but we will have our competitive spirits,” Rey said. “In addition to our uniforms, we will have our competitive spirit in mind from the DeKalb Barbs and will be bringing our best game to the field.”

The Castle Challenge was created by Castle Bank in 2000 to increase funds for all sports programs from grades six through 12 in DeKalb and Sycamore, according to a Sept. 15, 2013, Northern Star article. The event has raised $54,000 this year and $911,000 since 2000, challenge creator Gary Evans said. All of the proceeds will go to local sports boosters organizations to improve the quality of utilities, Evans said.