Talons and teeth: big game looms

The irresistible force against the immovable object. One undefeated team against another undefeated team. The No. 2 ranked Division 1 team against the No. 5 ranked Division 1 team. Something has to give Friday night.

And something will.

Classic 8 Conference powerhouses Waukesha West (7-0, 5-0) and Arrowhead (6-0, 5-0) will clash Friday night at Taraska Stadium at Arrowhead in what will be the game of the year in the conference and one of the top regular season games in all of Wisconsin. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The victor will most likely win the 2011 conference championship and have the upper hand should the two teams meet again in the upcoming WIAA playoffs.

A crowd of 4,000 or more is expected for the clash, and that number could go as high as 6,000 if the weather cooperates. It most likely will be the largest crowd ever to watch a Classic 8 Conference game in the 15-year history of the league.

"It's going to be a great challenge for us to play Arrowhead on Friday night," said highly successful West coach Steve Rux, who has led the Wolverines to a pair of WIAA state championships in the last seven years. "They have a great home record since they put in the turf. They have a great stadium. There's not another one like it in all of Wisconsin."

Rux was right on the money when talking about Arrowhead's great home record. Since the Field Turf was installed prior to the start of the 2004 season, the Warhawks have a brilliant 42-2 mark at home. However, one of those losses came to West last year in the second round of the playoffs by a 14-10 score.

As things played out last season, Taraska Stadium turned out to be a home away from home for the Wolverines, who won the Division 1 state championship last year. After losing to the Warhawks at Arrowhead during the conference season (10-7), West bounced back and beat the host Warhawks in the playoffs and then wrapped up their state berth by stopping highly touted Kenosha Bradford at AHS in the state semifinals, 30-15.

But all of those numbers will mean little come Friday night.

"We know that they have a very good football team," said AHS first-year coach Greg Malling. "We have a lot of respect for what they've accomplished. This is what high school football is all about. Two good teams meeting each other late in the season. It should be an exciting night for everyone."

Big numbers for both teams

On paper, the two teams look equal. Both offenses have been unstoppable in conference play. The Wolverines are averaging 42 points per game and the Warhawks, with their new no-huddle look, are putting up 39 tallies per contest. On defense, Arrowhead had allowed just 42 points overall and West 50.

Arrowhead's first-team defense has allowed just one touchdown all season, that coming from Catholic Memorial on its first possession of the night in the second conference game of the year.

That defense will get a huge test Friday.

The Wolverines have a talented offensive line (Connor Stefanski, Austin Vetta, Chad Leitinger, Blake Stewart and Adam Harnen) and arguably the best running back in the state in senior Joe Schobert. Schobert has scored 16 touchdowns this season and last Friday piled up an impressive 217 yards in 23 carries against a good Memorial team.

West senior quarterback Brandon Berghoefer is starting for the second straight year, and junior Steve Drida is one of the top place-kickers in Wisconsin.

But the Warhawks (four times state champions and five times runners-up) have some weapons of their own on offense. Under Malling's guidance, Arrowhead now passes more than any other team in school history.

Senior quarterback Ryan Saeger has played outstanding football for the Warhawks.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder is throwing the ball with tremendous accuracy and has talented receivers in the likes of junior Brandon Kim, senior Jamahl Wright, junior Kenny Finco, senior Sean Berendes and junior Dom Todarello. Senior Nick Abresch and Saeger are the team's leading rushers.

Let the game begin.

Did you know

 In the last two years, Arrowhead and West have played four games, and both have won twice in the defensive battles. In those four games, the composite score is 47-47.

 Combined, West and AHS have won or shared the last five Classic 8 Conference championships.

 This is the 15th year of play in the Classic 8 and in the first 14 seasons Arrowhead holds an 11-3 edge over the Wolverines. However, West is 3-4 in the last seven seasons, including back-to-back wins in 2004 (31-24) and 2005 (42-7)

 The two schools also played each other four times as members of the Southeast Conference (1993-96), and AHS won all four meetings by a combined 153-23 margin.

 Since joining the Classic 8 in 1997, Arrowhead has a record of 84-19, and the Wolverines are 67-36 in league play.

 The Warhawks, including this year, have never had a losing season in the Classic 8. West has finished with a winning record 11 times in 15 seasons. The Wolverines have had just one losing year since 2004.

 Arrowhead has won 38 of its last 41 league games.

 The two rivals have met three times in the WIAA playoffs. Arrowhead won the first meeting in 2000 at West Allis Hale by an 18-17 score in the state semifinals. AHS also won in 2009 (21-14) before the Wolverines won last year (14-10).