Rocco

This is one in a series of articles previewing Friday night's high school football games.A collision course in the WPIAL's Midwestern Conference is about to reach a much-anticipated end.The conference's two undefeated teams — Riverside (5-1, 5-0) and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (5-2, 4-0) — will square off in what should amount to a de facto conference title game Friday at J.C. Stone Field in North Park.“It's a great opportunity for our kids to play in a game like this,” said first-year CWNC coach Patrick O'Shea. “We're hoping for an exciting and competitive game.”O'Shea is not short on respect for Riverside's program.“Watching them on film, they are a team you like to emulate,” he said. “You can tell they put in the time in the weight room because they are a physically strong team.”But O'Shea also admires the way his team has carried itself this season, starting with sophomore quarterback Zack Rocco.Returning from an injury suffered last year, Rocco has turned in a remarkable season through seven games, passing for 1,377 yards with 21 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.“We knew he was a really good athlete, but he's done a fantastic job of learning the offense,” said O'Shea. “He has patience and doesn't feel like he needs to do too much. For a tenth-grader, he's a great leader, but he also has a great supporting cast around him.”One of those players is senior wide receiver Ryan Maziarz who spent much of last season at quarterback and was competing with Rocco for the starting job in the preseason.Maziarz has not sulked in his new role. Instead, he leads the team with 25 receptions worth 224 yards and seven touchdowns.“It came down to what we believed would better help the team,” O'Shea said. “After the decision was made, there was no discussion about it. Ryan is such a talented athlete and it was a seamless transition for him. I'm blessed to coach a team full of unselfish kids.”Another wideout, Cameron Branch, has 23 catches for 259 yards and three scores. Halfback Joe Meinert paces the Trojans with 537 rushing yards and 284 receiving yards.All of the weapons are a concern for Riverside coach Ron Sciarro.“They like to spread you out,” he said. “They can run and throw and it's going to be a challenge for us.“Woodrow Hughes (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) is a leader for us at inside linebacker,” added Sciarro, “but we've been playing really well as a team on that side of the ball.”The Panthers also feature players with impressive offensive numbers. Sophomore quarterback Ben Hughes (781 yards, 11 TDs) has thrown just two interceptions this season. The team's pro-style attack features a pair of backs on pace to at least sniff 1,000 — Noah Harris (519 yards) and LeMarcus Cleckley (551).“We want to be able to pass the ball when we want to, not just when we have to,” added Sciarro.O'Shea said the strength of his defense is the line, which includes tackles Dom Prentice and Carson Primrose and ends John Prentice, Alex Michalski and Nick Habrle.Seth Benson and Nikhai Hill-Green are stalwarts at inside linebacker while Maziarz calls the defensive signals from his strong safety position.The Prentice brothers, Primrose and Benson also star on the offensive line for the Trojans.The Panthers defeated the Trojans last season, 28-26.