The Parkway Conference title will be on the line tomorrow night when West Allegheny travels to Tony Dorsett Stadium to face Hopewell.

"We still have two more conference games to play, but I think it's safe to say the winner of this game will have a leg up on the other teams in the conference," Hopewell coach Dave Vestal said. "We're the only two teams in the conference who have yet to lose."

Hopewell enters the game with a 3-0 record in the Parkway Conference, a 6-0 mark overall and a No. 2 ranking in the WPIAL Class AAA poll. West Allegheny is 4-0 in the conference, 5-1 overall and No. 4 in the rankings.

"We are the underdog," West Allegheny coach Bob Palko said. "[Hopewell] is averaging 41 points a game, and they are doing it the old-fashioned way. They are lining up and kicking butt, and not even taking names.

"The atmosphere will be awesome. We're playing one of the biggest games of the year, so we have to be prepared. We better strap it up.

"We're going to have to play well in all phases of the game to beat a quality team such as Hopewell."

West Allegheny has the unenviable task of stopping sophomore sensation Rushel Shell. The Vikings tailback leads the WPIAL with 1,143 yards and 18 touchdowns on 124 rushing attempts. That averages to 9.2 yards per carry.

"Shell can take it the distance from anywhere on the field," Palko said. "He's a very explosive back. He can also hurt you on kickoff returns.

"Shell reminds me of the long line of great backs we've had in the past from Beaver County. He's got a great blend of speed and power, along with good vision. We have to play as solid as we can on defense and hope to keep him from scoring on the big plays."

Palko's defense must also keep an eye on fullback Malcolm Lay and quarterback Matt Hundenski. Lay has rushed for 281 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries. Hundenski has completed 25 of 46 passes for 506 yards and eight touchdowns, while throwing only one interception.

"[Hopewell] can obviously run the ball well," Palko said. "They can also throw the ball when they have to. Hundenski has done a fine job running their offense, and he has a big-time threat in receiver Mark Ross."

Ross has caught 15 passes for 362 yards and seven touchdowns. He's averaging 24.1 yards per catch.

"We haven't had to throw the ball much, but Matt has done a fine job when we've needed him," Vestal said. "We will need a balanced offense to keep West Allegheny's offense from keying on Rushel."

West Allegheny also has a potent running game. Junior tailback Mike Caputo, a Blackhawk transfer, has been the most productive player in West Allegheny's backfield. He has rushed for 992 yards and 11 touchdowns on 137 carries. Junior tailback Mike Cherokee is another threat. He has rushed for 380 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries.

"Caputo has been a real special player for West Allegheny," Vestal said. "He's right up there with Rushel in yards gained. He has great vision and is able to find the hole no matter how little. He's also very good at making you miss. Rushel may have a little more speed once he hits the edge."

Vestal knows that West Allegheny likes to run the ball, but also realizes the Indians have a passing attack. Jared Buck has completed 27 of 46 passes for 425 yards and seven touchdowns, while throwing only one interception.

"West Allegheny has a ball-control offense, but they can also pass," Vestal said. "They also like to mix their formations and use the wildcat offense. We have to keep them off the field. It will be a big challenge for our defense."

Vestal is hoping for good weather.

"I've had it with all the rain," Vestal said. "We had rain the last two weeks and were playing on grass fields in both. It's great to be back home on the turf, but we're also celebrating homecoming. It will be a great atmosphere. I just hope it doesn't rain."

West Allegheny has qualified for the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs, as it has only one conference game remaining after this week. Hopewell needs one win in its final three conference games to qualify.

n What: West Allegheny at Hopewell.

n When: 7 p.m. tomorrow.

n Where: Hopewell's Tony Dorsett Stadium.

n The skinny: This is a big one in the Class AAA Parkway Conference. Hopewell is undefeated and ranked No. 2 in Class AAA by the Post-Gazette. West Allegheny (5-1) is ranked No. 4.

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