It's only a non-section game, with no playoff positions on the line. It's not even a game between traditional rivals.

But tonight's boys' basketball game between Chartiers Valley and Hampton has the makings of the regular-season game of the year. And if you want to see it, but don't have a ticket? Sorry. The game is a sellout.

Ticket sales give an indicator at the interest in this game. Hampton gave Chartiers Valley 300 tickets and Chartiers Valley put those on sale Tuesday night at halftime of its home game. All 300 were gone by the end of halftime.

Hampton's gym capacity is between 1,000 and 1,100. Hampton planned to sell 700 tickets, and put them on sale Wednesday morning. They were all sold before school ended.

"It's not very often we get a game like this," said Hampton athletic director Bill Cardone.

It's a 1 vs. 2 showdown as Hampton (16-1) has been the Post-Gazette's No. 1 WPIAL Class AAA team since the start of the season. Chartiers Valley (17-1) has been No. 2.

"I don't ever remember a non-section game getting this much attention," Chartiers Valley coach Tim McConnell said.

Hampton coach Joe Lafko said the same thing.

"I think it's going to be a great atmosphere," Lafko said.

"I think we can draw on the experience of playing Mt. Lebanon earlier this year. That was a non-section game, too. Although this is non-section, the kids sometimes see these things as being a bigger game, and they want to go out and prove themselves to their peers. That's what is great about sports."

What makes this game even more interesting -- besides the 1 vs. 2 matchup -- is the style of the two teams. Chartiers Valley does not have a starter taller than 6 feet 2, but the Colts average 84 points a game. Their full-court defensive pressure has caused problems with every team they have played this season.

Hampton, meanwhile, starts a front line of 6-6, 6-7 and 6-8. A key to the game will be how well Hampton's guards handle pressure.

"It's their size against our speed," McConnell said. "Any time you put on the uniform and lace up the shoes, you try to win. But it will not be the end of the world if we win or lose. It will be a good test for us. It will be like a big playoff game."

Lafko said, "I think the contrasting styles is what really makes this interesting."

Beaver Falls coach Doug Biega watched his team lose to Chartiers Valley, 72-45, this past Sunday. Biega had some interesting comments on what type of team it will take to beat Chartiers Valley. The Colts' only loss is to Jackson, Ohio.

"If you're going to beat them, you have to have good guards," Biega said. "Or you have to have some size to throw over top of their press. Hampton has some size, so we'll see. But Highlands beat them last year [in the WPIAL semifinals] because they had good guards. Chartiers Valley is a very good basketball team, but they're not unbeatable. Highlands showed us that last year."

The question of whether West Allegheny football player Mike Caputo would be recruited much by Division I colleges has been answered.

Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State, Purdue, North Carolina State and Michigan have all offered scholarships to Caputo, a junior running back-defensive back who was the Post-Gazette Player of the Year. More offers will probably be coming in the future.

Colleges aren't saying what position Caputo will play.

"They all say the same thing -- that he's just a player," West Allegheny coach Bob Palko said. "I'm not sure he can't be a running back in college. Do I think that's where he'll play? I don't know.

"Penn State likes him maybe at one of their linebacker spots and Pitt maybe at one of their linebackers. I think teams like him on defense because he's such a good tackler, and that's a lost art nowadays."

The story of Beaver Falls football player B.J. McBryde is one of the most interesting this recruiting season.

McBryde never played football until his junior year at Beaver Falls. He wasn't a starter until his senior year. He wasn't recruited by the University of Connecticut until a few weeks ago.

Yet, McBryde singed with Connecticut Wednesday.

McBryde, a 6-6, 230-pound defensive end-tight end, probably would've signed with Eastern Michigan until Connecticut came around recently and offered a scholarship. Boston College did the same.

"I was really surprised," McBryde said of the late scholarship offers. "I'm not really sure why they came in so late. I know one of my coaches at Beaver Falls said Connecticut came in and said they were going to talk with [Beaver Falls running back] Cody Cook. But our coach said, 'If you're going to talk to Cody, why don't you check out B.J. McBryde?' They watched some film and I guess they were interested. They flew me out to Connecticut and offered me a scholarship."

Cook signed with California University of Pennsylvania, a Division II program.

McBryde laughed when asked why he never played football until his junior year.

"The first time I was on the field and they told me to get into a stance, I didn't even know how to do it," he said. "My mom had a big part in not letting me play. She didn't want me to get hurt, or see her baby falling over and breaking something.

"A lot of my teachers and coaches pushed me into football and just said you should go see what you can do."

While a number of high school football players from the WPIAL signed with Division I colleges Wednesday, some girls' soccer players also signed with colleges. It was a good year for WPIAL girls' talent as 10 signed with Division I schools.

Canon-McMillan's Taylor Schram, an All-American and the Post-Gazette Player of the Year, signed with Penn State. Other Division I signings were: Moon's Jordan Calabria (St. Bonaventure), Peters Township's Megan Junker (St. Bonaventure), Franklin Regional's Paige Foughty (Akron), Moon's Caroline Keefer (Pitt), Seneca Valley's Kate Kelly (Old Dominion), Hopewell's Chelsey Haney (Youngstown State), Norwin's Dana Dellefemine (Pitt), Peters Township's Devon Burkholder (Maryland-Baltimore County) and Bethel Park's Brittany Boss (St. Francis).

At last week's PIAA meetings, no one on the Board of Control made a motion for a vote on starting the football season a week earlier this season. The lateness of football season has become a hot topic around the state because last year's PIAA finals were Dec. 18-19. The 2010 finals will be Dec. 17-18.

The season is currently 16 weeks long. The PIAA did hand out to board members brackets for a 15-week season. But it was for informational purposes only.

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.