Sto-Rox football coach Jason Ruscitto is fully aware of what South Fayette has been doing this season.

"This is a program that hasn't received a lot of publicity, but they should," he said. "This is a team that is probably one of the best in Class AA and the WPIAL, and not many people have talked about them.

"They haven't been ranked or considered one of the best teams, but they are. They're playing very good football right now."

The Lions, however, enter this week's Century Conference clash at Sto-Rox ranked No. 5 on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Class AA ranking behind the No. 4 Vikings.

Sto-Rox will play host to South Fayette at 7 Friday night at Sto-Rox Memorial Stadium. The Vikings won last year's matchup, 35-19.

That was last year.

This season, both teams enter the contest undefeated at 3-0 overall and in conference play while vying to remain near the top of the conference standings along with undefeated Seton-LaSalle.

Both teams also are coming off impressive week three victories.

While South Fayette surprised Keystone Oaks, then-ranked No. 3, with a 28-22 upset, Sto-Rox battled back from a seven-point halftime deficit to cruise past Quaker Valley with a 42-15 decision.

Junior quarterback Christian Brumbaugh orchestrated South Fayette's victory against Keystone Oaks. He passed for 200 yards and three touchdowns, completing 16 of 25 attempts without an interception. Brumbaugh threw a pair of touchdown passes to senior Ryan Ross, covering 3 and 25 yards, as well as a 15-yarder to sophomore Josh Patterson.

Junior running back Jeff Davis also ran for 115 yards and scored a touchdown.

"We have competed well and have played complete games," Lions coach Joe Rossi said. "We have had a nice balance with the run and the pass on offense.

"Christian Brumbaugh has done an excellent job and has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks in the WPIAL this season. Jeff Davis has also done a great job of running the football.

"On defense, we've also been balanced and my defensive coaches have done an excellent job preparing the kids and bringing a strong defensive strategy in each week."

Penn State recruit Paul Jones returned to the field last week for the first time after sitting out Sto-Rox's first two games with an ankle injury he incurred while playing a pick-up basketball game during the summer. Sophomore Jordan Latimore did an admirable job filling in during Jones' absence.

Jones, a senior, completed 18 of 33 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns against Quaker Valley.

"I've tried to stay with the status quo as much as possible [with the quarterback change]," Ruscitto said. "There were things Paul had to adjust to, but we made sure he was comfortable. He definitely had to knock off the rust."

Senior wide receiver and Pitt recruit Andrew Carswell hauled in a pair of touchdown receptions from Jones and racked up 130 yards on eight catches. Senior wide receiver Dontae Gilmore also scored two touchdowns, one on a 61-yard punt return and the other on a 4-yard run.

"The big thing is Jones is back," Rossi said. "I believe they played a little more conventional the first two weeks. Against Quarter Valley, they came through with a big second half. Jones came out throwing bullets and that's why he's headed to Penn State.

"They have the speed and athleticism at every position. Jason does an excellent job preparing his guys."

And with Jones in the game, Rossi is anticipating one thing.

"They're going to throw it around," he said. "They've had different guys step up each game and they have about four to five receivers they like to rotate and a couple of running backs. It's definitely going to be a big challenge."

Sto-Rox enters the game averaging 36 points while giving up 16.3. The Lions are averaging 34.3 points and allowing an average of 13.3.

"That's a very, very good veteran team," Ruscitto said. "They have a plethora of juniors who played quality minutes and started as sophomores, and I know a lot their losses were very close games. Their boys have grown up.

"They run the ball well, throw the ball well and play good defense. Coach Rossi and his staff do a fantastic job."

Rossi, though, knows perfection will be key against the Vikings.

"We have to take care of the football and we have to play disciplined football," Rossi said. "We know we're going to a hostile environment, so we have to make every possession count.

"We have to keep their offense off the field and play smart football."

Ruscitto will have a similar game plan.

"We can't turn the ball over," he said. "We have racked up too many penalty yards so far, and we can't be put in a situation where we have to come from behind.

"We have to play mistake-free football from whistle to whistle."

• What: South Fayette at Sto-Rox.

• When: 7 p.m., Friday.

• Where: Sto-Rox Stadium, Mc-Kees Rocks.

• The skinny: Sto-Rox and South Fayette, along with Seton-LaSalle, are undefeated after three games in the Century Conference. Sto-Rox is ranked No. 4 in Class AA by the Post-Gazette, while South Fayette is No. 5