Montour football coach Lou Cerro is reminded of his team last year when he looks at Highlands, his WPIAL quarterfinal opponent tomorrow.

"We were the No. 2 seed last year and came into the quarterfinals with a 10-0 record," Cerro said. "This year, Highlands is the unbeaten team seeded No. 2."

The two teams will meet at 7:30 p.m. at Plum High School with a Class AAA semifinal berth on the line.

"I hope we have the success [Montour] had last year," said Highlands coach Sam Albert.

Highlands is the only remaining unbeaten team in Class AAA. The Golden Rams won the Greater Allegheny Conference and were dominant in a 49-14 first-round victory against Laurel Highlands.

Montour (6-4) is seeded No. 7 in the 16-team bracket. The Spartans, who finished fourth in the Parkway Conference, advanced to the quarterfinals with a convincing 40-14 win against Keystone Conference champion Yough.

"Last year, I felt we deserved to be the No. 2 seed," Cerro said. "This year, Highlands deserves to be the No. 2 seed."

Highlands might be seeded higher, but Albert doesn't consider his squad the favorite.

"Even though we're the No. 2 seed, I feel like we're the underdog," Albert said. "I think a lot of people are expecting Montour to beat us since they are from the Parkway Conference."

The Parkway is generally considered the toughest of the Class AAA conferences, but Highlands beat Montour, 20-12, in the second week of the season.

"Both teams are different than we were in week two," Albert said. "But I don't expect either of us to too much different. We've put a few wrinkles into our game plan, and I'm sure they are doing the same thing, but I don't expect significant changes from either team."

Another similarity with Highlands and Montour is that both have a blue-chip quarterback. Highlands is led by Jeff Sinclair; E.J. Banks runs Montour's offense.

"E.J. and Jeff are two of the best quarterbacks in the WPIAL," Cerro said. "Their roles are similar, but they do a lot of things differently. Jeff is a little bigger and runs very well. He's also a leader on defense. He killed us the last time we played. We have to contain him to be successful."

Sinclair showed his ability to run in last week's victory against Laurel Highlands, as he scored five touchdowns. For the season, he has completed 78 of 139 passes for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns. He has also rushed for 1,025 yards on 154 carries and scored 18 touchdowns.

Banks, a Notre Dame recruit, also showed his ability to run in the Spartans' first-round win against Yough. He ran for two TDs before leaving the game at halftime with a groin injury.

"E.J. [aggravated] his groin injury, so I didn't play him in the second half," Cerro said. "The injury originally occurred in week eight when we played Hopewell. The injury can't fully heal until E.J. rests for a few weeks, but we don't have that luxury."

Banks is expected to play against Highlands, but he might not play on defense. For the season, Banks has completed 75 of 161 passes for 970 yards and nine touchdowns. He has also rushed for 808 yards and 13 touchdowns on 132 carries.

"We don't have anybody on our scout team who can simulate Banks," Albert said. "He has a good arm and is also a threat to run the ball."

Albert remembers the last time he faced Cerro in a playoff game. Both were coaching a different team at the time.

"I was at Freeport and he was at Seton-LaSalle," said Albert, referring to the 2002 matchup in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs. "We had them on the ropes, but lost by one touchdown [28-21]."

Seton-LaSalle entered that game unbeaten and seeded No. 2. And the two met in the quarterfinals. Seton-LaSalle went on to win the WPIAL title that year.The game

• What: Highlands (10-0) vs. Montour (6-4).

• When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

• Where: Plum High School's Mustangs Stadium.

• The skinny: Highlands defeated Montour, 20-12, the second week of the season.