It was only two years ago that North Catholic and Avonworth made the move together to the Eastern Conference.

Former Big Seven rivals, they have quickly made their late-October regular-season meeting the most significant game of the Eastern Conference season.

For the second year in a row, the Eastern Conference title will be on the line when these two rivals meet tomorrow night at North Park's Lt. J.C. Stone Field, the home of the Trojans.

Although Springdale remains a viable contender to reach the WPIAL playoffs, as the Dynamos beat Avonworth, 7-6, earlier this season, the Eastern's top seed is up for grabs between North Catholic (6-2, 6-0) and Avonworth (7-1, 5-1). A North Catholic win would give it the conference title outright and the top seed that comes with it. An Avonworth win would force a split conference title with the top seed going to Avonworth.

"It seems we are both getting to the top of the section," North Catholic coach Bob Ravenstahl said.

"Along with Springdale, we seem to be the three teams fighting it out. We worked hard and I know the kids are excited. We worked hard last year, too, and got to this point and didn't get it done. They are aware of that and they know what they have to do."

Last season it was almost an identical scenario with the roles reversed. North Catholic entered the late-October showdown with one loss while Avonworth was one game away from closing out a perfect regular season. That game came down to 1 yard and ultimately one point.

Clinging to a 6-0 lead late in the game, North Catholic appeared to seal the contest with a fourth down goal-line stand with 48 seconds left to play. After a long deliberation, the referees eventually signaled that Antelopes quarterback Tyler Fatigante did cross the goal line.

After first-round wins by both teams, a rematch was set for the WPIAL quarterfinals. This one was not as close. Avonworth ran away from the Trojans, 30-8.

"We have to stop them defensively this year," Ravenstahl said. "Hopefully, it will be a defensive struggle."

A number of players on both sides have graduated, including nearly the entire Avonworth starting lineup, but the biggest difference this season might be the surface. Last year, Avonworth played host to the regular-season meeting. Avonworth is one of only four Class A programs to have a synthetic-turf field. The playoff meeting took place at Dormont Stadium, another synthetic-turf surface.

"I am glad it is out on my field," Ravenstahl said. "Hopefully, that will slow things down a little bit."

By "things" Ravenstahl was referring mostly to Avonworth's Jimmy Zubik. Right up there with the talented skill players at Clairton and Rochester, Zubik is one of the top playmakers in Class A this season.

He is one of only two returning starters on offense and is playing a new position, moving from wide receiver to running back. He has flourished in the backfield even though he is running behind a new offensive line. He has 937 yards on 99 carries. That does not include the yardage he piles up returning kicks and throwing passes out of the backfield.

"[Zubik] has great speed," Ravenstahl said. "He likes to use the whole field and he is very elusive. He has proved that throughout his career. We are well aware of him."

North Catholic will counter on offense with its three-pronged attack. Quarterback Martin Long and running backs Matt Fedzen and Julian Durden lead the Trojans offense.

Long is a three-year starter at quarterback. Durden has emerged as one of the top backs in Class A and Fedzen, a senior, has adjusted to a new role because of Durden's emergence. Fedzen is also a major receiving threat out of the backfield.

A conference title, one of the top seeds in the playoffs and postseason momentum will all be on the line along with maybe a little bit of revenge for the Trojans, but if you ask Ravenstahl, there is one thing that matters more than anything in this game.

"Whoever gets that top seed, that is what is most important," the coach said. "Whoever loses will finish second and you are talking about first place getting a fourth-place team and second place getting a third-place team. It is very important."

• What: Avonworth at North Catholic.

• When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

• Where: Stone Field in North Park.

• The skinny: They are the top two teams in the Class A Eastern Conference. North Catholic is ranked No. 4 in Class A by the Post-Gazette.

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.