PEDRO - Mirror mirror on the wall, which team is the fairest of them all?

Both.

Determining the better team between the Rock Hill Redmen and Portsmouth West Senators

can't be done just by looking at the two teams.

"They're a mirror image of us," Rock Hill coach Todd Knipp said. "Both teams are running very similar offenses and defenses. It's good because we know what's going on, but it's bad at the same time because they know what we're doing. It makes for a chess match."

Rock Hill comes into the game 3-0 and West 2-1 after a 42-8 loss at Ashland, Ky., last week. However, the Senators were ravaged by the flu prior to last week's game. Nearly a dozen players went home sick last Thursday.

"We have kind of thrown that game out. They put 48 up against Fairland and beat Portsmouth in a big rivalry game. I'm sure they're wanting to come back and show that last week they

were sick," Knipp said.

Running backs Jerrod Pendleton (6-2,200) and Mat Auger (5-10, 174) key the double-wing offense along with quarterback Austin Seevers (6-0,170). Up front the Senators rely on 6-foot-6, 250-pound tackle Matt Baker, tackle Chaz Horsley (6-3, 200) and guard Michael Whitman (6-2, 225).

"They have decent size up front. They're pretty physical, the have three good running backs and their quarterback is a good athlete," Knipp said. "They've been able to move the football and score some points. I'm hoping we can throw them down."

Defensively, West has Sean Bower (6-0, 195) and Alex Bloomfield (5-10, 170) at the inside linebackers and Justin Stevenson (5-7, 175) and Pendleton are on the outside.

The Senators have scored 91 points this season. Rock Hill has 118 points through three games.

"Both teams have been able to put points up, but both teams match up well on both sides of the ball. We might be bigger in some areas, but they have good athletes and they're well-disciplined in their system," Knipp said.

"(Pendleton) is a good running back. He's strong, physical and has breakaway speed, so he's going to be a handful for us," Knipp said.

Dick Tipton, who coached West for 17 years before leaving in the early 1990s, is back in control and has instituted an offense and defense.

"For them to change their system, they're doing pretty good. They're executing pretty well," Knipp said.

"It'll be one of those where the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win."