McKeesport coach George Smith didn't want his players talking about the Gateway game in the first eight weeks of the season. Gateway coach Terry Smith didn't want his players discussing it, either.

Finally this week, the players can talk all they want about the contest. But they'll have plenty of company.

In one of the most talked about and thought about games of the season, McKeesport plays at Gateway in a WPIAL Class AAAA showdown at 7 p.m. Thursday. The game is FSN's Thursday night game of the week, although it won't be televised live. The station will show it after the Penguins' game that night.

It wouldn't be an overstatement to call this the game of the year in the WPIAL. Gateway is undefeated (8-0) and ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA in the WPIAL by the Post-Gazette. McKeesport is 7-1 and ranked No. 2.

McKeesport's only loss was in the season opener to Colerain, one of the top teams in Ohio. Gateway is the PG's No. 1 Class AAAA team in the state and McKeesport is No. 4.

Gateway's Smith is in his seventh season as coach and can't remember such a highly anticipated, regular-season game.

"At least not at Gateway, that's for sure," he said. "There is a lot at stake in this one game. First, there's the [Foothills] conference title and probably the top seed in the WPIAL playoffs. Plus, it's also McKeesport vs. Gateway. It all just makes a great setting for this game."

The teams are similar, at least in terms of statistics. Gateway averages 45.4 points and allows only 7.4. McKeesport averages 44.5 and allows 10.1. Heck, the teams are so similar they're coached by Smiths.

But their offensive styles are very different. Gateway is a well-balanced team that uses multiple formations. McKeesport's flexbone, triple-option offense relies almost exclusively on the run. It's a big deal when McKeesport throws five passes in a game.

But Gateway already has faced an offense similar to McKeesport. Erie McDowell runs the triple option and lost to Gateway, 30-18.

"Typically in a given year, McKeesport is the only team you face with an offense like this," Terry Smith said. "So you usually have only a few days to practice to get ready for it. But we've seen something like it once before."

Avella had only 11 players at the start of Friday's game against Clairton. But after quarterback Jesse Noble was hurt, Avella had to play the second half with only 10 players. So the teams and the officials agreed to play only eight minute quarters in the second half with a running clock. High school quarters are 12 minutes. The first half was also played with a running clock.

Clairton won the game, 56-0.

Freedom coach J.C. Summers resigned Wednesday for health reasons.

Summers, in his first season, has Barrett's esophagus, a disorder partly caused by stomach acid reflux.

"I did some research and only 1 percent of the population has this disease. Unfortunately, I'm in that 1 percent," Summers said.

Summers, 37, also had a heart attack last year, but said his heart is fine.

"None of the doctors will clear me to coach," he said.

"They say a lot of this problem has to do with stress. I was begging them to just let me continue to do this for the last two weeks of the season. But they felt I didn't need the pressure right now."

Freedom is 1-7 and assistant Frank Hernandez is the interim head coach.

"I'm still waiting to hear on some other [medical] tests. The problem could be more serious," Summers said. "I'm going to coach again somewhere. I just don't know when."

Hopewell's Rushel Shell has opened eyes as a freshman running back, but he's not the only ninth-grader doing well. Charleroi freshman Quentin Briggs carried 49 times for 267 yards in a 29-13 victory against Washington Friday. Briggs has 871 yards for the season.

No running back in the state is hotter than Franklyn Quinteh of Pocono Mountain West High in Eastern Pennsylvania. He had his third consecutive 300-yard game when he gained 344 in a 35-20 victory against Lehighton Friday. He had 395 and 350 yards the previous two weeks, which means he has rushed for 1,089 yards the past three games.

Here's quite a debut: In his first start of the season, sophomore Austin Ebertowski of Council Bluffs Lincoln, Iowa, rushed 41 times for 451 yards (second in Iowa history) in a 56-42 victory against Sioux City West.