While the Thomas Jefferson at Chartiers Valley game tonight and the West Allegheny at Hopewell contest tomorrow evening will attract the most attention, there is another big game involving a Post-Gazette West squad this weekend.

Monaca travels to Laurel tomorrow evening for a Class A Big Seven Conference showdown.

It's big because Laurel and Monaca are tied for second place at 3-1 behind undefeated Rochester. Keep in mind that Monaca still has to play rival Rochester the final week of the regular season, which makes the Laurel game even bigger for the Indians.

Laurel has lost to Rochester -- 14-7 -- and will entertain Western Beaver Oct. 23 and closes out the regular season at Shenango.

Monaca plays host to Neshannock Oct. 23 before crossing the Ohio River to play at Rochester Oct. 30.

If Monaca, which is 4-2 overall, beats Laurel and Neshannock and then loses to Rochester; and Laurel (5-1) wins its final two after losing to the Indians, the two teams will finish tied for second place in the conference.

They both would be in the WPIAL playoffs, but Monaca would get a first-round home game.

"We figure if we win two of our last three we'll get a home game," Monaca coach Sam Cercone said. "You set goals at the start of the season and making the playoffs is always one of them. But you also adjust your goals as you go along."

Of course, the Monaca coaches and fans would love to hold a playoff game at the school's Memorial Stadium that is situated along the Ohio River. That's because Monaca and Center high schools are combining next year as part of the Central Valley School District merger, and although nothing is official, the word is that Central Valley home games will be played at Center's Sarge Albert Stadium because it has artificial turf.

Stadium issues aside, Monaca would like to knock off Laurel because, well, the Indians want to win every conference game.

It won't be easy. Laurel, which had seven offensive and six defensive starters returning from last year, is a very good football team.

The Spartans have size in linemen Kaleb Kingston, a 6 foot 5, 295-pound sophomore, and Patrick Young, a 6-2, 240-pound junior; and skill in quarterback Tyler Forbes, who is 6-2, 195, wide receiver Jake Dando, 6-4, 195, and running back Dylan Jones, a 5-11, 175-pound sophomore. Jones rushed for 205 yards in Laurel's 50-6 victory against Union last weekend.

"They're good and they give you a little bit of the wildcat [offense] with Dando at quarterback," Cercone said. "He's a good athlete and he's not a bad passer, so they give you a lot to worry about."

Not many folks seemed worried about Monaca when the season started. That's because the Indians returned just four starters from the squad that went to the WPIAL final at Heinz Field last season. But they have come together quickly and surprised even their coaches.

"All 17 seniors last year played, so we lost a lot of experience," Cercone said. "But the guys have stepped it up this season and we've been playing well lately."

A player who has been playing extremely well is Joe Colangelo, a 5-11, 185-pound senior running back/cornerback. He has rushed for 769 yards on 120 carries -- that's a 6.4 yards per carry average -- and scored 14 touchdowns. He gained 136 yards on 26 carries in last Friday's victory against South Side Beaver.

Colangelo started at safety last season for the Indians and saw some time at running back as a reserve.

"He carried it some but we had three good backs so it was tough for him," Cercone said. "We've featured him more this season because we don't have three good backs, but our quarterback [Matt Bradford] has done a good job, so it hasn't been all Joe."

Colangelo has intercepted four passes on defense, returning two for scores. He ran one back 52 yards for a touchdown against South Side. Cercone believes Colangelo will play defensive back at the next level.

All former Monaca players are being invited back for a homecoming of sorts when the Indians entertain Neshannock in what could be the final game for a Monaca High team at the school's stadium. All of the school's former coaches were invited back for a game earlier in the season.

Beaver Falls running back Cody Cook came into the season needing 1,626 yards rushing to reach the 4,000-yard plateau. Barring an injury, it looks as if he will reach that milestone, especially if the Tigers, as expected, go deep into the WPIAL Class AA playoffs.

Cook has run for 1,046 yards. That means he needs 580 to reach 4,000.

Beaver Falls has three regular-season games remaining -- Mohawk, Center and New Brighton -- and has qualified for the playoffs. To reach 4,000 in four games Cook needs to average 145 yards a contest.

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