It's the Hawks' claw versus the Cats' claw in a Howard County League rematch.  River Hill won last year's game, 6-0, and finished as state runners-up; Wilde Lake missed the playoffs at 8-2.

No. 5 River Hill (4-0) at Wilde Lake (4-0)
When: Friday
Time: 7 p.m.
Outlook: This Howard County League contest pits the visiting Hawks, and their three-pronged backfield, against the homestanding Wildecats', whose 35th-year coach, Doug DuVall, uses QB Danny March  on the run just as much as the pass.

River Hill has out-scored its opposition by a combined, 184-0, led by RB Michael Campanaro, RB Zach Martin and RB Malek Redd.

On the year, Campanaro (5-11, 180) has 601 rushing yard for 10 TDs; two punt returns for scores of 50 and 87 yards; receiving TDs of 12 and 55 yards and a passing TD of 75 yards.

Wilde Lake has an advantage of 136-36 over its rivals behind RB Jarrell Epps, RB Ashton Hayes and RB  Vaughn Stamper.

First-year starting QB Luke Hostetler, of River Hill, is 24-0 as a high school football player, having gone 20-0 over the past two seasons on the Hawks' junior varsity.

Against common opponents Glenelg and Centennial, River Hill enjoyed a scoring advantage of 79-0, compared to Wilde Lake's of 132-36, which may not reveal much.

Each team has the ability to win a close game, since they posess solid placekickers: The Wildecats have Graham Spicer and the Hawks have Carlos Griffin-Benitez.
     River Hill, a Class 3A state runner-up last season, has won 17th of its past 18 games overall, and has an 18-game winning streak against rivals in the county.

The Hawks, reclassified into the Class 2A based on enrollment, are 43-4 against the county since the start of the 2003 season.
 
But if the Hawks are to maintain their run at a fifth straight county title as well as, perhaps, a fifth straight playoff berth, they may have to win a tight game.

Last year, River Hill edged Wilde Lake, 6-0.

The Wildecats finished at 8-2 and narrowly missed the postseason.

Nevertheless, Wilde Lake still is smarting from that loss.

Defensively, the Hawks have LB Martin, last year's Howard County Defensive Player of The Year, and LB Leron Eaddy, who, last week, had a tackle for a safety.

They will have to deal with an offensive line comprised of third-year starting C Dave Klotz (6-3, 245), Lucas Place (6-4, 235), Peter Bulka, Ramin Nejaddehghan, Alex Ngo and Myles Jackson, behind who Wilde Lake has 15 rushing TDs.

Wilde Lake has a massive defensive front, including Maryland-bound, 6-5, 270-pounder, Cody Blue, and DE Ryan Smith (6-5, 260).

That last group offers the first true test for a River Hil offensive line that was relatively inexperienced at the season's out-set.