CARMEL >> It happens once a year, where Golden Anderson gets texts from Carmel High alumni or former teammates from all over the country that he hasn’t heard from in a year, wishing the head coach good luck.

Or when Pacific Grove football coach Jeff Gray walks into a PG business, instead of a “hello” the first words are “coach, are you going to get ‘The Shoe’ back?”

For 76 years, the Carmel-Pacific Grove game for the coveted Shoe Trophy has been a community event as much as a football tradition, where for one week, memories are relived with new ones being created.

“It’s always been our No. 1 goal,” said Anderson, now in his 15th year as Carmel’s head coach. “People laugh and don’t think we’re serious. It’s the most important game of the year for us.”

Owners of nine consecutive wins in the annual rivalry game, the Padres will host Pacific Grove at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the 77th meeting at Monterey Peninsula College.

“When you see what it means to the fan bases and alumni, the passion exhibited, it tells you how important it is to them,” Anderson said. “Our job is to be prepared to play good football.”

One win away from its second straight undefeated regular season, the Padres have put together a 21-game regular season winning streak, averaging 45.3 points a game during their run at supremacy.

Having already secured no worse than a share of its eighth league title in the past 15 years, a win will likely give Carmel the top seed in the Central Coast Section Division III playoffs.

Carmel holds a 41-33-2 series lead over the Breakers. Ironically, the last time these teams met at MPC in 2013, it was Pacific Grove posting a wild 77-53 win in the CCS Division IV semifinals.

“There is just a different vibe around town this week,” Gray said. “When you win, it feels like a community win. We haven’t been able to do that the last few years, which is disappointing.”

Anderson, who has never forgotten losing The Shoe as a player, is 14-1 as the coach in the game, with his team averaging just under 48 points a game in those 15 meetings.

“If there is a silver lining, it’s we have a season’s worth of film to look at as far as their tendencies,” Gray said. “But sometimes even when you know it’s coming, it’s not going to matter.”

Now in his fifth season, Gray has patched together a team that has kept its name in the postseason conversation, securing its fifth straight winning season.

“The difference with this team from the past is some of their best athletes are playing football,” Anderson said. “We have similar athletes in that they play multiple sports.”

That might be where the similarities end. No one has the size to match up with Carmel tackle and Alabama-bound Jackson Lloyd, who moves the needle in the trenches.

The 6-foot-7, 285-pound senior’s presence has made the attack out of the Wildcat formation (where the runner takes the snap from center) a huge asset in a pass-first aerial assault, as evident by Ashton Rees rushing for 27 touchdowns in the last two years.

“Carmel is so good at a variety of offense schemes,” Gray said. “What gets your attention is how solid they block downfield. Their skill (players) are fast and strong. We need to swarm to the ball.”

An unselfish attitude has made the Padres even more potent as quarterback Hudson Rutherford has touchdown passes to multiple receivers, including five to Brooklyn Ashe.

“Our guys aren’t posting their stats on social media,” Anderson said. “I know it’s not easy. It’s easier to be selfish. We have always kept it about our team. It’s what we believe in.”

Rees is a prime example of that. While still listed as a receiver, he’s become a viable threat out of the backfield, enabling the Padres to utilize all their skill athletes.

“We worry about what’s going to put us in the best position to try and win,” Anderson said. “Our philosophy is to take what the defense gives you. The kids do a great job buying into that.”

It hasn’t been a hard sell for Anderson, with his program having won 21 straight regular season games, while chasing the program’s seventh undefeated regular season.

“I think everyone makes it more out of winning than we do,” Anderson said. “We concentrate on the process on what we can get better at. We try to have short memories. We move on quickly.”

The endless options on offense is what makes Carmel so dangerous. No one is going to produce 1,000 receiving yards, despite having a quarterback completing 74 percent of his passes for nearly 2,000 yards.

Instead, you have multiple weapons to defend, starting with Ty Arnold and Simeon Brown, who have quietly combined to catch 63 catches for nearly 1,000 and eight touchdowns.

“When you load up the inside, they will hit you on the outside,” Gray said. “Their receivers can out athletic you. Athletically, Carmel is just better than a lot of teams.”

That’s not to suggest Pacific Grove doesn’t have a game plan to compete. It’s what it has done all season, having beaten a league champion, while falling by three to playoff-bound North Salinas.

“I think for us, we are looking at it like it’s our playoff game,” Gray said. “This is a chance for us to do something on a big stage.”

The Breakers have shown to be more versatile this fall with Brody Edmonds becoming the first quarterback in six years to throw for over 1,000 yards, tossing 12 touchdown passes.

“The quarterback is very accurate,” Anderson said. “Like any good team, coach Gray is trying to find advantages of what he has and to get his athletes the ball.”

Emerging as targets on the outside have been Ben Garry and sophomore Andrew Nimri, while tailback Gideon Llantero has become a threat out of the backfield.

“We’ve opened up the offense a little, adding some play action,” Gray said. “But we really don’t have a passing package. Brody is mobile and makes good throws on the run.”

Llantero, who has also spent time on the Breakers defense as a pass rusher, has shared carries this year with Garrett Kuska, as the pair have combined for over 1,000 rushing yards.

Having gone over 1,000 combined receiving and rushing yards, Llantero leads the team in total touchdowns with 12.

“Our high beams are on,” Anderson said. “We’re getting ready for what they do, not who they are. At the same time, we’re trying to identify our deficiencies and get better.”

Brown has been an impact player on defense for Carmel as well with six interceptions, while Garry has four picks for the Breakers.

“Ben has been solid on offense and defense for us,” Gray said. “We haven’t done well when the sun is out at Carmel. Maybe MPC gives us a more neutral feeling.”

While the average margin of victory in the Mission Division South for Carmel is 27 points, the preseason is where it demonstrated how to handle and overcome adversity.

“The margin was so small in some of those games that it really forced us to focus on needing everyone,” Anderson said. “Instead of talking about the lesson, we’ve survived the elements.”