Aliquippa football coach Mike Zmijanac and his counterpart at Center High School, Larry Taddeo, shared a friendly conversation via telephone Monday morning.

	The Game What: Center (7-1, 6-1 in the Midwestern Athletic Conference) at Aliquippa (8-0, 7-0). When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow. Where: Aliquippa's Carl A. Ashman Stadium. The skinny: Aliquippa is ranked No. 2 in Class AA in the WPIAL and PIAA by the Post-Gazette. Center is unranked, despite winning seven consecutive games. If Center wins and Sto-Rox beats Quaker Valley, Aliquippa, Center and Sto-Rox will tie for the MAC title.

The coaches are from neighboring schools that have played each other the last game of the regular season in each of the last nine years, rivals whose games usually have Midwestern Athletic Conference title implications on the line.

This season is no different. A victory by visiting Center (7-1, 6-1) tomorrow night at 7:30 earns it a share of the conference championship.

But with both teams already assured of participation in the WPIAL Class AA postseason, Zmijanac said the Quips (8-0, 7-0) and Trojans have their sights set higher than merely the result of what takes place tomorrow night at Carl A. Aschman Stadium.

"The good thing about this game is we're both in the playoffs," Zmijanac said. "We'll both play real hard and try to win and we want to win and the fans of both teams want to win, but at the end we will give each other all hugs all around, move on from this and see how far both of us can go."

You'll have a tougher time convincing the Center fans of that.

The Trojans have not beaten Aliquippa since 2002 and in the intervening years have seen only one Center playoff appearance while the Quips have been to the WPIAL championship game twice and won the 2003 PIAA championship.

While Center has its own strong football tradition, Aliquippa arguably is the premier program in Western Pennsylvania, so it should come as no surprise that "Aliquippa Week" is an exciting one at Center.

"It's a great week," Taddeo said. "The only thing on our minds now is Aliquippa. It's a big week"

The 2006 Quips are ranked No. 2 in WPIAL Class AA by the Post-Gazette. Their average margin of victory is 25.5 points per game and they have won by less than 18 only once. Aliquippa's defense permits only 6.6 points per game -- the fifth-best average in all of the WPIAL and second only in Class AA to No. 1 Greensburg Central Catholic.

"They're loaded," Taddeo said. "If I can say this, he has at least four D-I kids on the field.

"Then again, a few years ago when we played, he had six D-I kids on the field."

The defense returned nine starters from a year ago and Zmijanac said the veteran linebacker corps is part of what makes it go.

But as talented as the Quips' kids are, Taddeo said the coaching might be even better.

"They don't just gather the kids and roll the ball out there," Taddeo said. "These kids are well-taught, well-drilled, well-coached. I can't say enough about them and their program."

Zmijanac was similarly complimentary about the 2006 Trojans, calling them the most physical team Aliquippa has played all year. Center features a 6-foot-4, 315-pound Ohio State recruit, Evan Blankenship, on the offensive line and a 1,000-yard running back in sophomore Maurice Carter.

Taddeo said his team has improved with each week throughout the season and likes the chemistry on this squad, saying it has jelled better than Center teams of the past.

"They're a real good team. I'm sure they were the favorite coming into the year," Zmijanac said. "They were the favorite last year, too, and they are a better team this year."

Zmijanac might have been being polite or employing coach-speak, but in recent seasons the road to the MAC championship has clearly gone through Aliquippa.

"We don't put up banners for conference championships," Zmijanac said.

"It's nice that you did it, but it's not all-important to us.

"The ultimate goal is to win the [WPIAL] championship. If you aren't trying to win a championship, you shouldn't be coaching."