Hopewell High School football coach Dave Vestal has possibly the best running back in the WPIAL in sophomore Rushel Shell, but he also realizes that the Vikings need more than a running game to be a serious threat in Class AAA.

That's why the progress of senior quarterback Matt Hundenski is so important for Hopewell.

"We put a lot of time into improving our passing game during our two weeks of training camp," Vestal said. "In our second scrimmage [against Seneca Valley], Matt threw four touchdown passes."

Hundenski made his regular-season debut Friday against Knoch and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Mark Ross.

"Matt threw the ball only four times, but completed two for 79 yards," Vestal said. "Mark is a three-year starter at receiver. If Matt throws the ball close to Mark, he will get it."

Hundenski, Ross and their Vikings teammates will face a much stiffer challenge this week. Hopewell (1-0) entertains Mars Area (1-0) at 7:30 tomorrow night in a non-conference game.

"[Hundenski] throws better than the quarterback Hopewell had last year," Mars coach Scott Heinauer said. "He also has a couple good receivers. That makes Hopewell even more of a threat on offense."

Both teams qualified for the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs and advanced to the quarterfinals last year.

Hopewell finished third in the Parkway Conference, while Mars tied for second place in the Greater Allegheny Conference.

"We played Hopewell last year and they beat us pretty well," said Mars coach Scott Heinauer, referring to the Vikings 34-7 victory. "Shell didn't carry the ball much in that game. I'm sure he will carry the ball a lot more this time."

Shell rushed for 1,516 yards last year as a freshman, but didn't become Hopewell's feature back until the second half of the season. Shell opened the 2009 season with a 256-yard performance on only 13 carries against Knoch. He scored on runs of 4, 70, 66 and 56 yards.

"Shell can take it to the house every time he touches the ball," Heinauer said. "Hopewell's improved passing game makes him an even bigger threat. The key is to keep the ball out of his hands."

Mars played well in its 24-7 season-opening victory against Moon Area.

"We had two touchdown drives of 19 and 20 plays," Heinauer said. "I don't think I've ever had two drives that lasted that long. In fact, I didn't even realize how many plays we ran until somebody told me after the game.

"It was an impressive performance that took a lot of time off the clock. We need to do the same thing against Hopewell. Shell isn't a threat if we have the ball."

Heinauer was also pleased with the fact that Mars did not turn the ball over.

"It's not often that we get through a season opener without a turnover," he said. "That's very important. We need to do the same thing this week. We need to put together long drives and avoid mistakes."

Mars has a big threat of its own in Austin Miele. A junior fullback, he rushed for 160 yards on 26 carries against Moon and scored on runs of 1 and 8 yards.

"[Miele] is one heck of a player, and he's only a junior," Vestal said. "He had the bulk of Mars' carries and had a big offensive line leading the way for him. I was very impressed with the long sustained drives Mars had.

"We need to be very aggressive and execute what we want to do on defense."

The Hopewell-Mars showdown will take place on new turf.

"We will be debuting our new stadium," Vestal said. "Almost everything has changed. We now have the same turf that North Allegheny has. It's considered the best you can get.

"We also have new stands on both sides of the field and a new press box. It's beautiful. I just hope we get a chance to practice on the field before the game."

n What: Mars Area at Hopewell.

n Where: Tony Dorsett Stadium, Hopewell High School.

n When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

n The skinny: Both teams won their opening week contests and are looking to go 2-0. This is a non-conference.