For Woodland Hills, week two of the WPIAL football season represents a return to normalcy.

For North Hills, it will mark a chance to return to the Post-Gazette WPIAL rankings.

The Wolverines play host to the Indians 7 p.m. Friday in what is both team's final game before conference play gets underway next week.

Woodland Hills, ranked No. 2 in WPIAL Class AAAA by the Post-Gazette, is coming off a loss to Manatee, Fla., as part of the Rally at the Wolverena. Manatee, which is ranked No. 3 in two national polls, beat the Wolverines, 39-16, this past Saturday.

But the game was not typical in that it was part of a four-game festival involving WPIAL teams against highly regarded programs from across the country.

"Last week was hectic for us," Wolverines coach George Novak said. "It was a monumental job done by a lot of people getting the facilities and the preparation done."

The final score was not as indicative of how the game went for Woodland Hills, which hung with Manatee.

"I think we grew up a little bit Saturday," Novak said. "We played a very good football team and we hung with them for three quarters. Midway through the third, we were winning, 10-9. I wish we could have pulled the plug in the stadium or something right there."

North Hills also played an opponent from outside the WPIAL last week, defeating Perry of the City League, 28-7. A win against Woodland Hills likely would garner the Indians serious consideration to crack into the WPIAL rankings.

Although this game is not a conference contest, it is a showdown between two perennial WPIAL Class AAAA powers. Both were semifinalists last season, when Woodland Hills won its fifth championship in the past 14 years. North Hills has won three titles.

"Woodland Hills is one of the high-profile programs in the WPIAL," McCurry said. "They're a quality program. For us, it's a good barometer to see if we can play up to the defending champion's level."

Against Perry, the Indians had three different players -- Taylor Schmidt, Josh Neurohr, Isaiah Faulk -- carry the ball between nine and 15 times, gaining between 61 and 93 yards.

"We don't have a Lafayette Pitts where we just give him the ball and let him run," McCurry said, referring to Woodland Hills' star, who has committed to Pitt. "We have three or four kids who can carry the ball and make contributions. If we're going to have any success, it has to be that way. We simply don't have a Division I player back there to run the ball."

Funny, this week, however, the Wolverines might not, either. Pitts sustained a knee injury in the second half of the Manatee game and was scheduled to have an MRI Tuesday. Reached Monday, Novak wouldn't expound on Pitts' status other than to say he is "day-to-day."

Another Division I recruit at Woodland Hills, linebacker Ejuan Price, also sat out much of Saturday's game. But Novak said Price should be OK for this week's contest. Still, that's not the only talent Woodland Hills has.

"They have outstanding athletes, five or six Division I players," McCurry said. "When you watch them, they have kids who play head and shoulders above the other kids, and that's a major concern for us. We've got to be able to block some of their kids.

"I think their defense is outstanding. Offensively, they have a lot of weapons. It's not just Pitts at tailback as a threat [also Alphonso Strozier]; they've got some good receivers [notably Shakim Alonzo], some other backs, and their quarterback [Jevonte Pitts] is good. They've got a whole array of weapons we have to be concerned about."

Although the result was good, and there were some things McCurry and his staff liked -- quarterback Schmidt, the line play, the running game, a couple of second-half goal-line stands by the defense -- the veteran coach also wasn't pleased with some aspects of the Indians' play.

Things such as turnovers and allowing the other team's offense to march down the field won't fly against a group as talented as Woodland Hills.

"We just have to pick up our game all the way around on both sides of the ball, as well as play well on special teams," McCurry said. "If we do that, we have a chance to stay in the game."

• Who: North Hills (1-0) at Woodland Hills (0-1).

• When: 7 p.m. Friday.

• Where: The Wolvarena, Turtle Creek.

• The skinny: A non-conference contest between two Class AAAA heavyweights.

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