Tonight's Hopewell-New Castle game might have more back and forth than a tennis match.

These undefeated teams possess two of the most potent offensive attacks in the WPIAL, and tonight's clash promises to light up the scoreboard at Tony Dorsett Stadium.

Both average more than four touchdowns per game -- Hopewell (3-0, 1-0) averages 47.3 points and New Castle (3-0, 1-0) averages 30.0.

Hopewell running back Rushel Shell, who last season ran for more than 1,500 yards, is more than one-third of the way to eclipsing that mark. With an average of a first down every time he touches the ball, Shell, a sophomore, has run for 598 yards on 50 carries through three games.

"He's a big strong kid who runs well, and he has excellent vision," said New Castle coach Frank Bongivengo. "He can make a lot of people miss, and that's his strong point."

Last week, however, Shell was outdone by New Castle's Justin Fleo.

Also a sophomore, Fleo led all area running backs last week with a school-record 276 yards in a 33-7 victory against Blackhawk. Fleo, who filled in for starter Keith Keene last week, scored four touchdowns and is New Castle's new leading rusher and receiver.

"If you miss a tackle, these guys can take it the distance on you," said Hopewell coach Dave Vestal. "Sometimes a 5-yard pass can turn into an 80-yard touchdown."

Vestal said his linemen are smaller than New Castle's and that the team will have to work harder to get Shell some daylight.

The Vikings are the Post-Gazette's No. 2-ranked team in Class AAA and the Red Hurricane is ranked No. 4. New Castle has won the past two games against its Parkway Conference rivals.

Bongivengo said the key to the game, besides stopping Shell and quarterback Matt Hundenski, will be field position. He said his special teams must minimize mistakes and the offense and defense must avoid careless penalties that could jeopardize field position, which has been a problem in past weeks.

Vestal said his team will have to make tackles at the point of attack so the defense can get off the field. Shell and the Hopewell offense can't do much, he said, if they are sitting on the bench.