Gateway has nine players -- juniors or seniors -- who have scholarship offers from Division I colleges. But North Allegheny coach Art Walker knows one particular Gateway player is most dangerous if he gets the matches in his hands.

"Cam Saddler is their catalyst, the go-to guy," Walker said. "When they need a spark to get the thing lit, they go to him. You have to be concerned about him."

Saddler, Gateway's standout senior running back, will be one of the key figures when Gateway (10-1) plays North Allegheny (11-0) in a WPIAL Class AAAA semifinal showdown tonight at the Wolvarena in Turtle Creek.

Saddler has rushed for 1,324 yards, but has taken his game to a higher level in recent weeks. He missed a few games early in the year because of a pulled hamstring. In the past four games, he has rushed for 772 yards on 77 carries.

In last week's quarterfinals against Upper St. Clair, Saddler helped bring Gateway back from a 14-6 third-quarter deficit, rushing for 190 yards in a 32-20 win. He had 129 yards in the second half.

"I think collectively they are the fastest team we've played this year, from the standpoint of offense, defense and special teams," Walker said. "They're probably the fastest team in Quad-A."

And Saddler is one of the fastest players.

But North Allegheny has the top-scoring defense in Class AAAA, allowing only 9.1 points a game. North Allegheny's offense is capable of big things, too, averaging 249.7 yards a game rushing. Karl DeCiantis has 1,197 yards rushing and versatile Geoff Greco, who plays receiver and quarterback, has 707 yards.

It's been 20 years since North Allegheny and Gateway met in a playoff game. In 1987, North Allegheny beat Gateway, 10-6, in a first-round game. Pete Antimarino was Gateway's coach and Jim Rankin was at North Allegheny.

But Walker is familiar with Gateway. When he was at Central Catholic, the Vikings defeated Gateway, 28-0, to win the WPIAL Class AAAA title.

"I think one of the big keys to this game is going to be Coach Walker," Saddler said. "He's an excellent coach. I love high school football and follow it a lot. Game-planning wise, [Walker] is one of the smartest coaches around. It's going to be interesting to see how he's going to play us."

McKeesport vs. Central Catholic

The other semifinal game matches two teams familiar with each other. McKeesport (10-1) and Central Catholic (11-0) met in last year's quarterfinals, and they also have squared off in a preseason scrimmage the past few years. They meet again tonight at West Mifflin.

McKeesport's defense has showed some holes in a few games this season, giving up 21 points or more four times in the past six games. Now, McKeesport faces a Central Catholic team that leads WPIAL Class AAAA in scoring, averaging 43 points a game.

Central Catholic quarterback Tino Sunseri has a hot hand. In two playoff games, he has completed 20 of 24 for 305 yards and five touchdowns.

"We struggled defensively against Norwin," said McKeesport coach George Smith. "We gave them too many opportunities and they made some big plays. We have to do better than that against Central. I think we are going to have to play an almost perfect game."