CLARION – It’s back to Clarion University’s Memorial Field for a third straight week for the Curwensville Golden Tide.

They probably aren’t complaining. Head coach Andy Evanko’s squad could play somewhere on a parking lot and wouldn’t say anything.

Curwensville (12-0) meets WPIAL champion and perennial state power Rochester (11-3) Friday night in the PIAA Class A Western Region finals at 7 p.m. The winner heads to the PIAA Championship game Dec. 10 in Hershey.

Without a doubt, Rochester brings the biggest challenge to date for the Tide. The Rams also bring plenty of confidence, which stems from their deep tradition playing late into most seasons.

This is the seventh time Rochester has reached the state’s final four. Rochester won state titles in 1998, 2000 and 2001, losing in the 2002 final. The Rams were eliminated from the WPIAL playoffs in the semifinals last year in a triple-elimination thriller to eventual state finalist Springdale.

Rochester beat D-9 champion Smethport in the regional finals in 1998 and 1991, losing to Smethport in 1992. That’s the last time a D-9 team has reached the state finals.

Curwensville, coming off its first-ever state playoff win in last week’s 34-6 handling of District 10 champion Sharpsville, will have to handle another team that appears to be statistically diverse.

Head coach Gene Matsook’s Rams are led by sophomore halfback Brent Whiteleather, who has rushed for 1,826 yards. He ran for 213 yards and three TDs in last week’s 41-14 drubbing of District 5 champion Berlin Brothersvalley.

Senior quarterback Cory Scheyler completed 4 of 9 passes against Berlin for 122 yards and three touchdowns, all of them coming in the second quarter. Scheyler has passed for 17 TDs this year. One of his top targets is 6-foot-4 Derek Moye.

In Rochester’s 15-14 win over Clairton in the WPIAL Championship game two weeks ago, six different players attempted passes. Two receivers threw TD passes and a halfback option pass converted a two-point try.

The Rams started the season 0-2, but have won 11 of 12 since with their only other loss coming to Farrell. They’ve won six straight since, five of them playoff games, including the win over Clairton that avenged a 21-19 loss to it the second week of the season

Rochester had its way with Berlin after giving up the first touchdown of the game. Curwensville is no Berlin. The Tide have trailed in only two games this year and still lead the state in scoring (47.3 ppg.) along with ranking first in point differential (40.8) and points allowed per game (6.5).

Those numbers don’t mean much. Perhaps the 410.4 yards rushing per game poses the biggest question of the game. Can Rochester stop the Tide and if it can, how will a Curwensville passing game respond.

On the flip side, how will Curwensville contend with Rochester’s athletic ability, size and strength. To date, no team has been able to match up with the Tide’s combination of size, strength or speed.

That’s why the Sipes brothers, senior Nate and sophomore Nick, have compiled massive numbers on the ground. They’ve combined for 4,055 yards rushing, which is over 82 percent of the team’s yards. The Sipes have rushed for 57 of the team’s 70 TDs.

Breaking it down further, Nate has an even 2,400 yards and 36 TDs (37 overall). Both numbers are within distance of Clearfield’s Dave Richards’ D-9 season records of 2,506 yards and 41 TDs turned in two years ago. Considering he averages 200 yards rushing per game, if Sipes doesn’t get 106 yards to tie Richards’ mark, it could be a difficult night for the Tide.

Still, that may be good enough considering that Nick has put together a season that would lead most of the teams in the state. He’s gained 1,655 yards with 21 TDs.

Last week, Nate rushed for 268 yards on 29 carries while Nick gained 110 on 14 carries. Nate scored all five TDs in the 34-6 win over Sharpsville, but Nick had a good night that included a 40-yard run to set up one of his big brother’s TDs.

Of course, the line play will tell the tale when it comes down to the end. That’s usually been something dominated by Curwensville, led by senior Brad Sopic. He played a solid game at center and notched three sacks from his defensive tackle spot.