The game

• What: Fox Chapel at Woodland Hills.

• When: 7 p.m. tomorrow.

• Where: Wolvarena, Turtle Creek.

• The skinny: Woodland Hills (2-4 overall, 1-1 in Big East Conference) needs a win to stay in hunt for playoff spot. Fox Chapel (4-2, 2-0) needs a win to stay tied for first place.

Bryan Deal picks up the paper or looks online, and he almost can't believe his eyes.

Scanning the WPIAL football standings, however, it's one of those good surprises.

"I read the standings, and it looks like a misprint," Deal said.

That's because the Fox Chapel Area team Deal coaches is in first place in the Class AAAA Big East Conference. Sure, it's only 2-0, but those two victories match the number of conference victories the Foxes have had in the past four seasons combined.

"It's great for our program to be recognized a little bit, and hopefully, we've taken some positive steps forward," Deal said. "I'm real exited for the kids, not only this year, but the past couple years. We've got a little better each year."

Woodland Hills has been where Fox Chapel wants to be -- a WPIAL power that hasn't sat out the postseason since 1995. The Foxes (4-2, 2-0) will visit the Wolverines (2-4, 1-1) at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Turtle Creek Stadium (aka the Wolvarena).

"This is probably the best talent they have had in a while," Woodland Hills coach George Novak said. "I'm impressed with them. They've got good athletes this year. One thing is they're a lot bigger up front than they used to be.

"We played each other last year, and it was an exciting game. We both have a few guys back from last year. Coach Deal does a nice job with his kids. We know we'll have our hands full this year."

That matchup last season included the teams trading scores in the final minute with Woodland Hills winning, 16-10.

Deal talked in the offseason about his team being able to compete with the traditional powers. Last season, the games against Woodland Hills and Penn Hills were much more competitive than in previous seasons when Fox Chapel was often getting blown out.

Now, with their confidence buttressed by winning four of their first six games and being 2-0 in the conference, the Foxes have the opportunity to prove themselves.

Fox Chapel closes out its regular season with games against Penn Hills and Central Catholic after the Woodland Hills matchup. Between the three of those schools, they have a combined nine appearances in the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game over the past eight seasons.

"No question we have a major challenge ahead," Deal said. "When you look at our schedule, it's the big three of our conference, the three powerhouses and we've got them all three in a row. We'll definitely find out what we're made of."

The Foxes will have to prove themselves without arguably their best offensive player. Senior Montay Green had 507 yards rushing and eight touchdowns three carries into the sixth game of the season last week, before he incurred an injury that is expected to keep him out of this game..

In his stead, senior Lamont White rushed for 115 yards and will become a bigger part of an offense that has traditionally been a strong one through the air. Junior Julian Salerno has completed 63 percent of his passes (58 for 92) with senior Colin Hartford catching 23 of those.

Fox Chapel's line includes Matt Kann, Miles Dieffenbach, Matt Sasson and David Martin -- each bigger than 240 pounds.

"I think there's definitely been a change of attitude," Deal said. "When we take the field, it's really up to us. We know week-in and week-out we're playing a good team, so I really put more emphasis on how we play.

"We've got to take care of what we do, and if we play the way we can, everything else will fall into place, no matter who we're playing."

The Wolverines know about that after having played one of the toughest schedules in the WPIAL. Three of the team's four losses came to WPIAL teams with a combined record of 14-4 an another came in Dallas against Justin Northwest, a Texas power.

"When you play good teams, you find your weaknesses and you work on those weaknesses and try to get better," Novak said. "That's what you do in September, you want to get better every week."

Novak is pleased with where his team is as it hits the stretch run, particularly with the knowledge that at least four starters have missed each game due to injury and the Wolverines are getting healthier now.

That includes senior Edgar Folks, who was limited to 31 carries during the first two-plus games before sustaining a knee injury. Novak said he is likely to play tomorrow.