It's the MSAC against the NCAC this weekend in the Class AAA playoff semifinals.

Two teams hailing from the Mountain State Athletic Conference - No. 1 South Charleston and No. 2 George Washington - are set to battle squads from the North Central Athletic Conference, No. 4 Morgantown and No. 6 University, respectively.

SC and Morgantown clash at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and GW and University meet at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Both games will be played at Laidley Field.

Lou Ann Lanham-Henson, the facilities manager at University of Charleston Stadium/Laidley Field, said Monday she couldn't immediately verify the last time both AAA semifinals were played at her site.

"[The search] was longer than we have records for,'' she said.

It could be the 1994 season, when South Charleston beat Randy Moss and DuPont in one semi, while University upended Herbert Hoover in the other. Sissonville also played a Class AA semifinal at Laidley against Ritchie County that same weekend.

The MSAC and NCAC have developed a nice little rivalry in the football playoffs, especially with some memorable meetings in the state finals.

Five times the two leagues have played in the championship game since the MSAC was born in the fall of 1993, with the NCAC leading that series 3-2: SC beat University in 1994, North Marion beat Parkersburg in 1997, Nitro beat Morgantown in 1998, Morgantown beat Parkersburg in 2000 and Morgantown beat Nitro in 2005.

All sorts of combinations can come out of this weekend's semifinals - two teams from either league could vie again in the finals, which would pose rematches from the regular season, or there could be another MSAC vs. NCAC title game in the offing.

SC coach John Messinger realizes the task at hand, playing a Morgantown program that's captured four AAA titles since 2000.

"I hope we can keep it together,'' Messinger said after beating Martinsburg in Saturday's quarterfinals.

"I know what's coming to town next week. [Three] years ago, they knocked us out of the playoffs. If we want to be the football team that's going to be a contender, we've got to beat a Morgantown. So the heat's on, but we'll see what happens. I have all the faith and confidence in our kids.''

Black Eagles senior Aaron Slusher played in that 2005 quarterfinal game in which Morgantown edged SC 14-7 at Pony Lewis Field. He started at linebacker as a freshman.

It's the MSAC against the NCAC this weekend in the Class AAA playoff semifinals.

Two teams hailing from the Mountain State Athletic Conference - No. 1 South Charleston and No. 2 George Washington - are set to battle squads from the North Central Athletic Conference, No. 4 Morgantown and No. 6 University, respectively.

SC and Morgantown clash at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and GW and University meet at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Both games will be played at Laidley Field.

Lou Ann Lanham-Henson, the facilities manager at University of Charleston Stadium/Laidley Field, said Monday she couldn't immediately verify the last time both AAA semifinals were played at her site.

"[The search] was longer than we have records for,'' she said.

It could be the 1994 season, when South Charleston beat Randy Moss and DuPont in one semi, while University upended Herbert Hoover in the other. Sissonville also played a Class AA semifinal at Laidley against Ritchie County that same weekend.

The MSAC and NCAC have developed a nice little rivalry in the football playoffs, especially with some memorable meetings in the state finals.

Five times the two leagues have played in the championship game since the MSAC was born in the fall of 1993, with the NCAC leading that series 3-2: SC beat University in 1994, North Marion beat Parkersburg in 1997, Nitro beat Morgantown in 1998, Morgantown beat Parkersburg in 2000 and Morgantown beat Nitro in 2005.

All sorts of combinations can come out of this weekend's semifinals - two teams from either league could vie again in the finals, which would pose rematches from the regular season, or there could be another MSAC vs. NCAC title game in the offing.

SC coach John Messinger realizes the task at hand, playing a Morgantown program that's captured four AAA titles since 2000.

"I hope we can keep it together,'' Messinger said after beating Martinsburg in Saturday's quarterfinals.

"I know what's coming to town next week. [Three] years ago, they knocked us out of the playoffs. If we want to be the football team that's going to be a contender, we've got to beat a Morgantown. So the heat's on, but we'll see what happens. I have all the faith and confidence in our kids.''

Black Eagles senior Aaron Slusher played in that 2005 quarterfinal game in which Morgantown edged SC 14-7 at Pony Lewis Field. He started at linebacker as a freshman.

"We know Morgantown from when I was in the ninth grade,'' Slusher said. "So we're going to use that as motivation. We're just going to get out there and practice hard all week, and try to get this victory. I think we're just going to be on our way.''

Mohigans coach John Bowers hasn't seen much of SC this year, but is quickly coming up to speed following his team's quarterfinal win over Capital.

"I know Coach Messinger is a big weight-room guy,'' Bowers said, "so I know they're going to be physical. I know they have [Aaron] Dobson at receiver so I know they're going to be athletic. A big, strong, physical, athletic team certainly sounds daunting, but we're going to take a look at what we need to do to go down there and beat 'em so we can go to the state title game.

"I haven't seen South Charleston one stitch. If they're more athletic than Capital, God bless 'em. Capital's pretty athletic. From what I gather they're a little more physical than Capital is up front. I guess they're just bigger. They've got that big Blake Brooks and they've got another big kid on the nose so we're going to have our work cut out for us in defending their speed, but, hey, we get to play a football game.''

Meanwhile, George Washington tackles a University squad that knocked off No. 3 Wheeling Park 21-13 in the quarterfinals, forcing seven fumbles and recovering three. The Hawks took a 21-0 halftime lead and held on.

The Patriots again hope to make some plays on defense. In their two playoff games so far, they have held Preston and Bridgeport - two run-oriented offenses - without a pass completion. Preston was 0-of-8 and Bridgeport 0-of-4, and each team threw two interceptions.

University, however, bases much of its offense around running backs Brandon Tucker and Dominique Dixon.

"That's the fun thing about the playoffs,'' said GW senior lineman Rodney Hudson. "Every game's a challenge. Every round, they get better and better and better. We've just got to step up and play harder. We've got a lot more work for this week, but I'm real proud of the team and the way we've played.''

Matt Johnson, one of about a half-dozen playmakers for GW at the skill positions, said it was "more of a relief'' than satisfaction for getting past the second round of the playoffs. GW hasn't been past the second round since winning the state title in 1982.

"We know what it's like from last year when we got to the second round and didn't win that game,'' Johnson said. "Now we're trying for 14 games this year. That's our goal. That's our motivation. Keep doing what we've been doing, working hard at games and in practice, and hopefully we'll come out on top.''

This weekend's semifinals appear to boast two competitive games. In fact, many observers are finding it hard to handicap the AAA chase, unlike the past couple seasons.

"There's no favorite,'' said Bridgeport coach Bruce Carey, whose team lost to GW in the quarterfinals. "There's no Parkersburg that everyone thinks is going to win it right off the bat.''

Tommy R. Atkinson contributed to this report. Reach Rick Ryan at 348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.