BLOOMINGTON - Don Anderson will have his eyes on Normal Community High School's No. 20 tonight. He'll do his best to see him as No. 20, or simply, the fullback.

Anderson has spent the week imploring his Bloomington linebackers to take away the opposing fullback. He does that every week.

Only this week, the fullback lives in Anderson's house.

The BHS assistant will coach against his son, Joey, an NCHS senior fullback and defensive back, in tonight's 7:30 Intercity Football Doubleheader game at Hancock Stadium.

"I'll try not to think of their fullback as Joey Anderson," Don Anderson said. "I'll be watching my linebackers to see if they're doing what we're teaching them to do, which is to help stop Normal's offense. That's going to entail stopping Joey."

Don Anderson took two years off from coaching to watch his son. He was in the stands as Joey Anderson and the Ironmen went 12-2 and placed second in Class 6A in 2005, and again last year as they won the 6A title with a 14-0 record.

BHS' former defensive coordinator, Don Anderson returned this year to coach the Raiders' linebackers and running backs, with the stipulation he would have Friday nights off to watch Joey and NCHS.

He can do that tonight from the BHS sideline, creating an interesting dynamic for father and son.

"I'm looking at it as he's still my dad first. He'll just be on the Bloomington sideline," Joey Anderson said. "He'll still be cheering for me and wanting me to play well."

Cheering?

Not on the outside, certainly, but on the inside?

"I still want my son to do well," Don Anderson confirmed.

Previous father-son meeting

Joey Anderson played on special teams as a freshman against BHS and his father in 2004. He is a key player on both sides of the ball now, having earned first-team all-Big 12 Conference honors on defense last year.

He considers this matchup with dad "a good challenge."

"He'll coach up his running backs and linebackers to the best of his ability. Hopefully, I can prove I'm a good player, too, and do my best out there," Joey Anderson said. "I hope my dad coaches well. But I still hope we win, of course."

Joey Anderson was not an NCHS fan growing up. His bloodlines wouldn't allow it.

He spent much of his youth rooting for his dad and Bloomington, even serving as a Raiders water boy through about fifth grade.

"I was big-time Bloomington for a long time," he admits.

Now, he is entrenched on the other side of the BHS-NCHS rivalry, making for what his father called "an interesting week between us."

Football has remained a topic of conversation in the evenings, though dad has been unable to pry anything useful out of his son.

"I'll ask him if he has any secrets to tell me, and he'll say, 'Yeah, we're going to bring in Rex Grossman to help us out,'" Don Anderson said.

"I think he's looking forward to going against me. But Joey and I have a great relationship. When the game is over, we'll still have a great relationship no matter what happens."

Resisting a scouting report

Don Anderson had an opportunity to gather his own scouting report last week. He saw Joey and the Ironmen defeat Champaign Central, 26-10.

It must be tempting for a veteran coach to make notes - mental or otherwise - while watching a rival school. Yet, the elder Anderson has found it easy to resist.

"I really just focus on what my boy is doing and is he doing the right things?" Don Anderson said. "I can honestly say I have not quote-unquote scouted Normal. I'm strictly there as a dad watching his boy play."

He'll get a much closer look tonight, amid the emotion and intensity of live action. Kickoff cannot get here fast enough - for either Anderson.

"I think we'll both be glad when this week is over," Don Anderson said. "It's fun in some ways, but …"

"I'll be happy when it's over just because there's so much going on around it," Joey Anderson said. "There's so much of that Bloomington-Normal rivalry kind of thing, and we have both Bloomington and Normal in the house."