It's not like either team will be playing their cross-town rivals in the game for the Class 8A state football title. They haven't met too often in the playoffs, either.

But rivals or not, both teams want to be No. 1.

They'll get their chance Saturday as Central and South face off in the championship game at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

Both schools are gearing for this week's showdown with pep rallies and team practices.

Central's hallways are lined with messages such as, "Bring Home the Trophy," "State Champs 2001" and "Beat Those Ponies," referring to South's Mustangs. At a pep assembly Tuesday, Redhawks players and coaches encouraged the crowd to make enough noise to be heard all the way to Downers Grove.

"Hey, Naperville Central, are you ready for a state championship?" yelled assistant varsity coach Dave Dillon.

It would be the Redhawks' second championship in three years - they also brought home the trophy in 1999.

Central was the top seed in this year's tournament. South was the 11th.

That doesn't mean South can be ruled out, Principal Craig Zeck said.

"I would clearly say we're the underdog. But we're playing well lately," Zeck said. "That's why you play the game on the field and not by the rankings."

South especially wants to bring home the trophy in honor of Sal DeLuca, a senior football player who died in August before school began. The Mustangs dedicated their season to his memory.

And Central seniors want to prove they are just as good as the Redhawks team of two years ago.

'This is the biggest game of our lives," senior guard Brendan Baskin said.

"My brother (Don) was on the first team (in 1999), so if we don't get the state championship, I'm going to hear about it for the rest of my life," Baskin said.

And while Central is ranked higher than South, the Redhawks know they have to be on their toes.

"You go into it like every other game," Baskin said. "This is what we've dreamed of since we were little kids."

Central: Redhawks seeking second title in three years