Muzzy Colosimo has supervised some of the top Class AA football players in the region in his duties as head coach at Greensburg Central Catholic.

While he's looking forward to doing so again this weekend, it's the chance to coach stars from larger schools that has put a glitter in Colosimo's eye.

"It's a great opportunity," Colosimo said of being head coach of the North squad in the 10th annual Foothills Football Classic. "I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the Quad-A kids -- the kids we have from Gateway, Woodland Hills and Penn Hills -- and [kids from] some of the larger schools.

"You hear about how good those kids are all the time. I'm really looking forward to getting a chance to see some of them play and to coach them."

He will get that chance when his team lines up against Bill Cherpak's South team Saturday night at Norwin Stadium. Kickoff will be at 7.

Cherpak is the coach at Thomas Jefferson, the defending WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA champ. He said that while the approach to the game is to have fun, the ultimate goal of the coaches and players is the same.

"It's always about winning," Cherpak said. "These kids are so competitive. They are here to have fun, but there's no question that they want to win."

Cherpak's team includes four of his own players: quarterback Brad Dawson, wide receiver Adam Plantz, tackle Jon Consoli and kicking specialist Evan Browne. The South also has six players from McKeesport Area and six from Clairton.

Three of the standouts are running back Dana Brown of Clairton, running back Shane Brooks of Duquesne and quarterback George Little of Duquesne. Brown is bound for Iowa on a football scholarship and Brooks will play at Pitt.

"The thing that's exciting about participating in a game like this is the caliber of athlete you can be around," Cherpak said. "To get to be around top players like a Dana Brown or a Shane Brooks or a Brad Dawson is what excites me about this game."

The Foothills Classic pits some of the top graduating seniors from Westmoreland, Fayette and Allegheny counties against each other. This year, there are about 75 players on the two rosters.

Route 30 serves as the "Mason-Dixon Line" that divides the North squad from the South.

The game will take place at Norwin for the first time since 2000. It took place at Norwin the first five years, but had moved to different sites since.

Players have been working out together on weekends and practicing together this week. The limited workouts have left both coaches little time to install their playbooks and/or defensive philosophies. Both figure on installing variations off a limited number of offensive plays and relying on the abilities of the athletes to make them count.

"You can't really do too much," Cherpak said. "In our case, you want to keep things simple and let the kids make plays. Having four [TJ] kids makes it easier."

Colosimo has four quarterbacks on his roster, including versatile Jordan Thomas, one of three Jeannette Jayhawks on his squad. Among the 34 players on the North roster, six are from Colosimo's Centurions, four are from Woodland Hills, and three each from Gateway and Penn Hills.

Colosimo's team has plenty of skill as well, with Thomas and his Jeannette teammate, running back A.J. Graves, among the more talented.

Sprinkle in Woodland Hills' receiver Jonathan Edwell and backs Matthew Griggs, Sergio Brockington and Terrence Johnson, Gateway receiver Evan Ayasso and running back Justin Colbaugh, and Penn Hills running back Charles Morris and tight end Carlos Burns, and the North has formidable playmakers.