Each Wednesday, the PUP high school sports staff will preview the game of the week.

Between the hash marks

Who: Hempfield (3-0) at North Allegheny (3-0)

Where: North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium

When: 7 p.m. Friday

The coaches: Nick Keefer (Hempfield); Art Walker (North Allegheny)

When they last met: North Allegheny took over what was a tie game at the half by scoring 28 unanswered points in the second half to claim a 42-14 win at Hempfield last Sept. 13. Luke Rohan ran for 94 yards on 14 carries and scored all three of his touchdowns in the final two quarters.

On deck: Hempfield will take on Class 6A top-ranked Central Catholic at West Mifflin, while North Allegheny will visit Norwin.

This and that: It’s a battle of two of the top three teams in Class 6A. While it’s no surprise that North Allegheny finds itself as No. 2 in the rankings, seeing Hempfield at No. 3 is unusual. But it has been a big start to the season for the Spartans, who are 3-0 for just the second time in the past nine seasons. They last started 3-0 in 2022, a season in which they rose to 5-0 before stumbling to a 6-4 finish. … Meanwhile, North Allegheny is looking to improve 4-0 for the fourth consecutive season. After using a last-minute touchdown to win at Woodland Hills in the season opener, the Tigers rolled to consecutive shutouts against Gateway (41-0) and Penn Hills (35-0). Led by defensive tackle and Pitt recruit Lincoln Hoke, the Tigers limited Gateway to 55 total yards and held Penn Hills to 117 total yards. Hoke has a team-best 17 tackles to go with 2½ sacks, while defensive end Owen Urschler leads the way with five sacks. Running back Luke Rohan and quarterback Brady Brinkley have been the catalysts offensively. Rohan has rushed for 271 yards and has scored a team-best seven touchdowns, while Brinkley is 34 of 54 for 453 yards and six touchdowns. … Hempfield’s wins have come against North Hills, Franklin Regional and Kiski Area. The Spartans have done a great job of closing games, rallying in the fourth quarter to defeat North Hills and outscoring Franklin Regional, 21-0, in the second half after the score was tied at the break. Quarterback Dom Detruf has been one of the WPIAL’s best stories. Detruf lost his father less than a month before the season, but the senior has shown lots of strength through his numbers and leading his team to victories. Detruf has completed 38 of 51 passes for 622 yards and eight touchdowns. He threw for three scores against North Hills and four against Kiski Area. Receiver Jack Kopas has scored four touchdowns on his 11 catches, and Aidan Stinebiser has rushed for 265 yards and four touchdowns. Like North Allegheny, Hempfield has a Division I-bound defensive lineman. Brock Heisler is a Harvard commit.

Expert picks (records in parentheses)

Steve Rotstein (2-1): North Allegheny 35, Hempfield 10

John Santa (2-1): North Allegheny 42, Hempfield 14

Brad Everett (1-2): North Allegheny 28, Hempfield 21