For WPIAL Class AAAA heavyweights Woodland Hills and Central Catholic, the dress rehearsals are over.

Goodbye to the four-game non-conference schedule. So long to breaking in new players and working out the kinks. Farewell to finding the right combinations and getting all the pieces to fit.

The real play is about to begin.

When the majority of Quad-A begins conference play tomorrow night -- the Foothills Conference is the lone group of the four that has already begun -- the most ballyhooed matchup will pit a pair of ranked Big East foes, No. 3 Woodland Hills (3-1) and No. 4 Central Catholic (3-1).

Even though the game is at Woodland Hills' Wolvarena in Turtle Creek, Central Catholic will actually be the designated home team. Because the Vikings don't have their own field, they play their home tilts at various sites, with some of them coming at the Wolvarena in recent years. The Vikings seem to like playing there, too, as they've won the past five times they've played at the Turtle Creek facility over the past three seasons.

The Wolverines, however, look more than ready to put an end to that streak. Since opening the season with a shutout loss to Ohio power Steubenville, the Wolverines have won three in a row, the latest victory ending defending WPIAL champion Bethel Park's 16-game winning streak against WPIAL teams.

With his team's run against non-conference competition over, Woodland Hills coach George Novak said he likes what his team has accomplished, but is eager to find out how quickly the Wolverines can sharpen their game even more.

"We're fortunate to have played some pretty good football teams," said Novak, whose squad also rolled past talented Canon-McMillan. "We're very competitive right now, but I think we can still improve a lot."

Last week, Central Catholic showed how much they've improved when the Vikings surprisingly faced little resistance in handing then-No. 3 Upper St. Clair its first loss, 31-7. The victory came only five days after the Vikings were shellacked by Mt. Lebanon.

With both teams seemingly playing their best ball of the young season, Novak believes tomorrow's game will say a lot in determining where each team stands among the WPIAL hierarchy.

"This is going to be a playoff-type atmosphere," Novak said. "They're one of the best teams in the WPIAL. It'll be a good test for us."

If the ability to run the football ultimately decides the game's outcome, both teams have to like their chances, as some of the most explosive backs in the WPIAL will be on the field.

Sophomore Damion Jones-Moore continues to serve as the catalyst to the Vikings' success. Standing at a diminutive 5 feet 6, Jones-Moore narrowly missed out on his third 200-yard effort a week ago, dashing for 199 yards. He added three more touchdowns in the contest, giving him 10 on the season.

"He's a phenomenal athlete," Novak said. "He's the leading rusher in Quad-A and he's probably up there in the state. He's a player who can take it for a touchdown anywhere, anytime, whether it be running or catching. He's something special. A Eugene Jarvis-type player."

Novak has a couple of special backs in his arsenal, too. Senior Dom Timbers, who transferred from Central Catholic after his sophomore year, has been the workhorse, and notched his third consecutive 100-yard outing last week.

Junior Lafayette Pitts has used his standout speed to burst onto the scene in recent weeks. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Canon-McMillan, followed by two scores against Bethel Park, including the game-winning 34-yard touchdown reception.

"He's the type of guy you like to have the ball in his hands because he's an athlete," Novak said of Pitts, who is receiving a lot of attention from Division I schools.

With the next five games determining the Wolverines' playoff fate, Novak knows the barometer will soon become much clearer to read.

"It was nice to have those four games up front to see what our guys can do, and I think we've improved a lot," Novak said, "but we'll know a lot more this week."

• What: Central Catholic at Woodland Hills.

• When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

• Where: The Wolvarena, Turtle Creek.

• The skinny: The Nos. 3 and 4 ranked teams in Class AAAA by the Post-Gazette meet ina Big East Conference contest. Both come in with 3-1 records.

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