-- Undoubtedly, the two toughest schedules in District 10 belong to Cathedral Prep and McDowell.

First, Cathedral Prep. Yes, the Ramblers are 3-4, but the four losses have come against brutal competition. Yes, you have to beat good teams to be a good team, but the Ramblers have played very good teams.

Prep opened the season with a 43-23 loss at McDowell. The Trojans are just 4-3 and aren't state-ranked, but if there's a better 4-3 team in the state, we'd like to see it. McDowell led the whole way against Prep.

After back-to-back wins over Buffalo St. Joseph (2-4) and DuBois (5-2), the Ramblers faced Strong Vincent, which is ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the state in Class AAA, depending on the poll. Prep stayed close with Vincent (7-0) for a while, but the Colonels pulled away for a 40-14 victory and dominated the game statistically.

After a 40-18 win over East, the Ramblers faced Ohio powers St. Edward and St. Francis DeSales on back-to-back weeks. St. Edward (6-2) beat Prep 33-20, but the Ramblers played well for long periods, and the game was tied 13-13 at the half. St. Ed is a potent offensive team that scored at least 31 points in each of its first six games. Prep led at St. Francis DeSales (8-0) 21-17 Friday, but the Ramblers were outscored 24-0 the rest of the way.

Prep will be favored to win its final three games against Buffalo St. Francis (0-5), Bradford (5-2) and Central Tech (1-6).

-- McDowell opened with its impressive 43-23 victory over Cathedral Prep. The Trojans then started a run of eight consecutive games against WPIAL teams with a 38-32 loss to Seneca Valley -- perhaps the their most disappointing setback of the season. McDowell has recorded lopsided victories over Norwin (49-13), Hempfield (48-7) and Latrobe (55-20).

However, McDowell's other two losses have come against state powers McKeesport (6-1) and Gateway (7-0), which the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ranks as the top two teams in the WPIAL. Gateway is the consensus No. 1 team in the state.The Trojans played well against both teams before losing to McKeesport 19-13 and Gateway 30-18 Friday.

The next two weeks, McDowell has winnable games against Penn-Trafford (3-4) and Connellsville (0-7).

The Trojans will close the regular season with another brutal game at Bishop McDevitt (7-0), which is ranked No. 2 in the state and averages 47 points per game.

By the time the playoffs roll around, McDowell should not be intimidated by any team. The Trojans, after all, already will have faced the best the state has to offer.