They have the two best quarterbacks in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

They have some of the best receivers.

They have terrific coaches, one a relative newcomer and the other a seasoned veteran.

They have terrific fans.

Their defenses make big plays.

Any way you slice it, Friday's showdown between the surging Prairie Hawks (8-3) and polished Xavier Saints (11-0) could be a football dandy at Saints Field.

Xavier quarterback Reggie Schulte is a lock for the all-state teams and Prairie QB Jace Hanna should get strong consideration as well.

Schulte has been amazing this season, with pinpoint accuracy. He's completed exactly 75 percent of his passes (120 for 160) for 2,085 yards and 35 touchdowns. He's been intercepted only four times, but he'll be facing a bunch of ball hawks Friday.

Hanna has thrown for 2,340 yards and 28 touchdowns for Prairie. He's clicking at 58.8 percent, which is good but not Schulte-like, and he's been picked off seven times for a very favorable TD-to-INT ratio of 4 to 1.

Schulte's favorite target is Corbin Woods, who has 44 catches for 948 yards and 14 touchdowns, with Bryce Grimm, Matt Nelson and others also prime targets.

Hanna has a powerful 1-2 punch in the receiving corps with Jarred Edmonds and Demetrius Harper. Edmonds has 57 catches for 1,158 yards and 16 touchdowns, while Harper has caught 55 passes for 663 yards and six TDs.

Xavier caught a bad break early in the season when tailback Cal Stovie suffered a torn ACL during a 48-14 victory over Prairie in Week 3. Stovie appeared headed for a sensational season, but the Saints have plugged in Brendan Miller and others and kept running the ball.

Prairie didn't have much of a running attack early in the season, but that's changed with Mitch Christensen in the backfield. Christensen slugged his way to 110 yards and three touchdowns when the Hawks shocked second-ranked Iowa City West, 49-28, in the Sweet 16 Monday night.

Prairie Coach Mike Morrissey should get strong support for Coach of the Year honors. The Hawks finished 2-7 last season during his first year on the job, but he's led them to an 8-3 mark this year with upsets in the playoffs against Dubuque Senior and Iowa City West.

Morrissey's career mark at Prairie is a modest 10-10 now, and he'll be facing a cagey veteran when he meets Duane Schulte Friday night. Schulte has fashioned a 97-56 record in 15 years with the Saints, including a 13-0 mark in 2006 when Xavier stunned the big boys and won the Class 4A state title.

If Morrissey isn't the Metro Coach of the Year, it's because Schulte beat him to the punch with an undefeated regular season.

Both schools have loyal fans who love to travel, so look for Prairie to fill its side of the bleachers at Saints Field Friday with standing-room-only along the fences. Prairie fans would be well-advised to
get there early to get a seat.

Both clubs have playmakers on offense, defense and special teams. Schulte has thrown only four interceptions in 160 passes and rarely throws the ball into trouble, but he'll have to be extra careful Friday.

Hanna has forced some of his passes at times this year, so he'll have to be judicious when he surveys the field. The Hawks cannot afford an early turnover that might lead to a quick deficit at Xavier. That could be fatal.

When the playoff brackets were announced, it was easy to look ahead and see Xavier visiting Iowa City West this Friday night in a battle of highly ranked 11-0 clubs, with a berth in the state semifinals at stake. The Prairie Hawks had other plans, and now we have an all-Metro battle on our hands in the biggest game of the year so far.

Don't put too much stock in their first meeting this year. Xavier won easily, but that was before Prairie developed a running game and improved a great deal on defense.

Just look at what happened when Prairie faced Iowa City West in a rematch. The Hawks lost the first meeting by 31 points, then turned around and whipped the Trojans by 21 points by forcing seven turnovers. That's a turnaround from Game 1 to Game 2 of 52 points.

Come early Friday. Get a good seat. And brace yourself for what could be a real dandy.