Undefeated Forest Hills and once-beaten Johnstown will play tonight at Trojan Stadium in a game that has too many subplots to merit status as simply a 10th date during the regular season.

No conference titles are on the line. Both teams already have secured playoff spots.

Johnstown’s upset loss to visiting Central Cambria last week spoiled hopes for what had been touted as a potential “unofficial” Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference title game.

But this is a game local football fans have been talking about since mid-season.

And then, the rumors surfaced a few weeks ago that Johnstown and Forest Hills wouldn’t play. According to those anonymous types who “post,” “text” and “tweet,” Johnstown wanted to avoid the Rangers.

“The first rumor was that this game wasn’t going to happen,” said Trojans coach and Athletic Director Tony Penna Jr. “That drove me and Mr. (Forest Hills AD Larry) Celmer crazy. Now the newest rumor is we wanted to stay healthy for playoffs and didn’t want to play this game.

“This is why you coach football. This is why you play football – for games like this and atmosphere like this. Yes, Forest Hills is a great team. It will take me 80 years to get to (coach) Don (Bailey’s) win total, but you have to be thrilled to get an opportunity like this and play and coach against a program like that. We couldn’t be more excited about this as a school and as a community.”

The game features two defending District 6 champions in 9-0 Forest Hills (6-AA) and 8-1 Johnstown (6-AAA).

Both teams have solid ground games and the ability to make the big play with the pass. Each has a strong offensive line and stingy defense.

“Our team is looking for a very tough game with a very talented team,” veteran Rangers coach Don Bailey said. “Johnstown is probably the most talented team in the Laurel Highlands Conference. As you look over their lineup they have potentially four Division I players on their roster, maybe more.”

The Rangers have outscored opponents 399-67.

Forest Hills running back Nick Dudukovich moved into second among area rushers with 1,339 yards. He has 20 touchdowns and 124 points. The running game packs even more punch thanks to tough-yardage back Jeff Meier (60 carries,

528 yards, six touchdowns) and crafty Anthony Unger (58-323, seven touchdowns).

Quarterback Justin Gdula has completed 54 of 78 passes for

21 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Among his targets are Jared McCombie

(23 catches, 516 yards), Jared Shope (7-144) and Adam Helsel (12-136).

“We feel that we’re going to have to mix up the run and the pass because they play such a good defense that we can’t just try to run the ball or just throw the ball,” Bailey said.

“You’d be hard pressed to find a better three running backs than they have,” added Penna.

“It reminds me of the Bishop Carroll team Craig (Sponsky) had with the (Chad) Schilling boy. Their balance is fantastic.

“They’ve been able to throw to hurt people and run. They are strong up front.”

Johnstown also has been effective on both sides of the ball, outscoring opponents

315-104. Last week, the Trojans were upset 14-13 by a physical Central Cambria team that slowed down Johnstown’s potent offense.

“Obviously we’re disappointed,” Penna said. “It didn’t work out the way we’d like it to, but such is life and such is football.

“The kids are resilient. I’m thrilled with how they handled this and how they came back to work this week.”

Johnstown junior quarterback Gervon Simon has rushed for 414 yards and passed for 1,511, second-best in the area.

“But last week, the Devils limited Johnstown to a net of fewer than 10 rushing yards and Simon was at minus-27.

Simon passed for 178 yards including a 71-yard touchdown to Dwight Andrews and a

53-yard scoring pass to Calvin Anderson.

“Their quarterback is an outstanding player,” Bailey said.

“He’s got great talent and great speed. He can throw or run. You look at their two tackles. They’re both very big, both move well, both are very aggressive,” Bailey continued. “Then you look at their middle linebacker-wide receiver, Alkwan Williams. He’s an outstanding linebacker and he can really move to the ball well. He covers a lot of ground and he moves end to end.

“We feel they’re very solid on both offense and defense. They don’t give up a lot of points and they score a lot of points.”

Anderson leads the area with 10 interceptions. Williams has 104 tackles, 70 solo stops.

“Our kids are looking forward to the challenge because we know Johnstown is an outstanding team,” Bailey said. “They’ve got great athletes. Our kids are looking forward to the challenge to see what we can do against them.”

As for those rumors of the game being canceled, Bailey had an answer befitting a hall of fame coach with four decades of experience.

“We knew the game was scheduled and we were ready to play,” Bailey said.

A large crowd is expected and the school district is hoping fans will contribute non-perishable food and personal care items that will be sent to U.S. military personnel serving abroad. A U.S. Army Humvee will be at Trojan Stadium to collect the items as part of a charity event organized by Johnstown’s SADD club and health occupations class.

The rest of tonight’s area regular-season games:

Central Cambria at Richland

Central Cambria (6-3) had one of its biggest victories in years last week at Johnstown. Richland (5-4) needs a win to have a shot at advancing into the 5/6-AA playoffs.

If the Rams pull off the upset, Richland still would need some help to make the eight-team field. A loss eliminates Richland.

Central Cambria (750 points) enters the week in sixth place. Penn Cambria (730) and Central (630) currently hold the final two spots, with Richland in ninth at 560.

Somerset

at Cambria Heights

Each team is looking for its first win of the season.

Heights will try to snap a

27-game losing streak. Somerset has dropped 12 straight.

Bedford

at Chestnut Ridge

County rivals Bedford (4-5) and Chestnut Ridge (8-1) will cap the regular season in this border match.

Bedford leads the all-time series 20-3-1. The Bisons were 18-0-1 in the first 19 meetings. Ridge won three in a row from 2006 through 2008. Bedford won both 2009 meetings.

Last season, the teams met in Week 10. Despite Bedford entering the regular-season finale with a 3-6 record, the Bisons beat Ridge 31-20.

The next week, the teams met again for the 5-AA title and the Bisons won 29-18, setting the stage for an impressive PIAA run that enabled Bedford to eventually finish 7-7.

Derry

at Ligonier Valley

Derry (2-7) has allowed

300 points, or twice as many as the Trojans have scored.

Ligonier Valley (8-1) is ranked fourth in 5/6-AA entering the regular-season finale. The Rams have outscored opponents 345-39, an average of 38.3 points for and 4.3 points against per game.

Ligonier has rushed for 2,699 yards, 299.9 a game. Anthony Tutino ranks second in the area with nine interceptions.