Some time next season or maybe the one after that, ESPN will probably do a show on the history of Texas Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

This is the final season for the Cowboys in "the stadium with the hole in roof." The Cowboys are moving into a new domed facility next year and the fate of Texas Stadium is yet undecided.

The list of quality players who have been on the Texas Stadium turf goes from Tony Dorsett to Bob Lilly to Roger Staubach to Michael Irvin to Emmitt Smith to legendary coach Tom Landry.

The history of Texas Stadium was not lost on the Woodland Hills team. The Wolverines played Justin Northwest, a suburban Dallas school, in their season opener Aug. 30 at the Cowboys' home.

Woodland Hills lost, 13-12, but coach George Novak said it was a great experience for the players in the traveling party.

"A lot of the players had never flown before, so it was a memorable experience for them," Novak said. "Other than a couple delays at airports, it was a first-class trip.

"The team we played was outstanding and you could see the excitement in our kids' eyes when we went over to the stadium to practice Friday night."

Woodland Hills was at a disadvantage for the game, although Novak thought his players did a good job.

For starters, Justin Northwest has 3,200 students in the top three grades. Plus, the temperature on the field was close to 100 degrees at game time with high humidity.

"We just were not used to the weather and I think we wore down a little bit in the second half," Novak said. "Really, two turnovers cost us. We fumbled on the 10 and they scored a touchdown and we turned it over on the 40 and they got a field goal. Other than that, we played right with them."

When asked if the game was also the opener for Justin Northwest, Novak said it was. But he pointed out that Justin Northwest had 21 days of spring football practice under its belt.

And he said the game was played under NCAA rules instead of the National Federation of State High School Association guidelines. The differences in the rules cost Woodland Hills.

"We had them second-and-28 and they gain 5 yards but on the play one of our guys happened to get the back by his shoulder pads," said Novak, explaining that the Wolverines were penalized for a horse-collar tackle. "We were penalized 15 yards and it was an automatic first down for a tackle that wouldn't even have been called [a penalty] up here."

Staying with Woodland Hills, Novak did an unusual thing with his three place kickers.

In the Wolverines' 56-0 victory against Connellsville this past Friday he rotated the kickers on extra-point attempts. Tyler Bubin, a sophomore, kicked the first extra point; Sam Scifo, a freshman, the second and senior Anthony Martello the third. The rotation then started over.

"They're all working hard, doing a good job. They play soccer for us and two of them are in the band," Novak said. "We just decided to give them all a chance. We'll see how it goes down the road."

Blast from the past

The 1983 Mount Pleasant team coached by Bill Elder will be honored tomorrow night when the Vikings entertain Waynesburg at 7:30 in a Class AA Interstate Conference contest.

The 1983 Vikings won the WPIAL Class AAA title, upsetting Aliquippa, 16-14, at Three Rivers Stadium.

Centers often get lost in the grand scheme of things on the field ... unless they are playing poorly.

Franklin Regional is blessed with an outstanding center in senior Wil Manfredo, who is in his second year of handling the snaps.

"He just does an outstanding job of snapping the ball, which is important for us since we're in the shotgun [formation] most of the time," Franklin Regional coach Greg Botta said. "He calls all of the blocking schemes for us."

Another Franklin Regional player who has gone above and beyond and not been noticed is senior Jay Holmes. Originally a tight end, he has moved to tackle because of injuries. Holmes is also the Panthers' long snapper and plays defensive end.

"He has a broken finger but he has just kept going," Botta said. "We try to get him off the field for a breather but it's tough. He's just an unselfish kid."

Franklin Regional (2-0) plays at Fox Chapel (1-1) in a non-conference game tomorrow night.

Most teams in Class AAAA, AAA and A jump into conference action this weekend. Here are a couple games to check out tomorrow night.

• Neither Hempfield (1-1) nor Penn-Trafford (0-2) are ranked in the top five in Class AAAA by the Post-Gazette, but the Foothills Conference matchup is always entertaining.

• South Allegheny (2-0) will try to end Jeannette's winning streak at 18 when the two meet at McKee Stadium in Jeannette in the Interstate Conference.

Kickoffs are 7:30 p.m.