A year after Class AA's southern factions were given a year off from the Super Six, the two pre-eminent powers of the decade will square off Friday night to put the past 10 years to bed.

Top-seeded Wayne (13-0) takes on No. 6 Bluefield (11-2) at Wheeling Island Stadium on Friday, hoping to tie the Beavers with its second state championship since 2000.

Poca leads Class AA with three state titles this decade, but has reached the playoffs just once in the six years following its 2003 championship.

"We're had our share of getting in the playoffs, and they have too," Bluefield Coach Fred Simon said. "We've got a lot of tradition here at Bluefield, and I don't think you could ask for a better game than what we've got on Friday."

The Beavers, whose rise to dominance coincided with Poca's waning days as a power, have a 22-5 playoff record since 2000. Simon's teams have already made five appearances in the Super Six since that year, and won their most recent championship in 2007, defeating rival James Monroe 20-12.

Wayne's numbers are equally as impressive. The Pioneers are 22-8 in the postseason since 2000, and have reached the Super Six three times, and won the 2006 title with a win over rival Tolsia, 33-6.

"We certainly have a lot of respect for what they've been able to do, considering the type of players they have and the area they draw from," Wayne Coach Tom Harmon said. "It's not a wonder why they're at or near the top every year."

Harmon, who took over at Wayne in 1997 and has taken the Pioneers to the playoffs every year since 1999, said that success has perpetuated itself in his program.

"I think a lot of it has to do with it being like a college team that gets into a bowl and gets an extra month of practice," Harmon said of reaching the later rounds of the playoffs. "It gets to be an expectation on behalf of the community and the players. So long as it's backed up by hard work, it works out."

Both teams found themselves in semifinal dogfights to reach Wheeling Island Stadium. Wayne trailed No. 4 seed Frankfort (11-2) 21-0 in the first half before storming back in the final two quarters to win 27-21.

Bluefield, playing on the road at No. 2 seed Magnolia (12-1), managed just 7 yards of offense in the first half, trailed 3-0 midway through the third quarter and used a 55-yard punt return by senior Marcus Patterson to ignite a rally that ended in a 13-10 win.

Simon does not count on the experience gained by traveling to within 35 miles of Wheeling and into a hostile environment as much use in preparing his team to face Wayne.

"The trip doesn't mean anything to us," Simon said. "We were glad to go up there and get a win against a fine, fine team. But I've never been a kind of guy to live in the past. I'd rather move on to the next thing."

Still, Simon has in Patterson (5-foot-10, 165 pounds) and senior linebacker/running back Jake Lilly (5-11, 198), a pair of players that bring more than their share of playoff experience into the title game.

"They both have had a really good role as far as helping our players become the team we are," Simon said of the pair, the only players on Bluefield's roster to have started for the Beavers in their 2007 championship year.

"They're players that have started four years, and that doesn't happen here very often, and that says a lot about what they're able to do for us."

Harmon said Lilly was, "one of the best players, if not the best player," in the state.

"They've also got one of the most athletic guys in the state with Marcus Patterson," Harmon said. "You throw in the fact that good teams generally run the football good, it comes down to our ability to keep those guys from making big plays."

Lilly, a Huff Award candidate as the state's best defensive player, has 594 tackles in four seasons, and had 16 at Magnolia. Although he stepped under center to handle quarterback duties when starter Levi Beckett (6-0, 175) went down with a broken collarbone midway through the season, Lilly still finished with more than 1,200 yards rushing.

Wayne has its share of playmakers, too. Senior running back Corey Damron (5-9, 168) has 1,532 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns on 227 carries out of the Pioneers' wing-T offense. Junior Clyde Ferrell (5-11, 175) has 919 yards and eight TDs and junior fullback Jake Barr (6-1, 240) adds a third option with 514 yards and 10 scores.

Simon said Harmon's team looked like a typical Wayne team, which was a compliment.

"It's not any different. Their line does a great job. They call it the Wayne-T, and they prove why they call it that all the time," Simon said.