It's a matchup worthy of the hype surrounding it.

When No. 1 Centreville (10-0) faces No. 2 Robinson (9-1) in the Division 6 Northern Region final for the third time in five years tomorrow, it will not only be a meeting of this season's two best teams, but a matchup of the region's elite programs. Kickoff is 1:00 p.m. at Centreville.

The defending Division 6 Group AAA champion Wildcats have won three consecutive region titles, and defeated Robinson 16-13 in the region final a year ago. The Rams, making their fourth region title game appearance in six years, won region and Group AAA titles in 1997.

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Prior to last season's loss, Robinson had Centreville's number. Since 1997, the Wildcats have never won less than 10 games in a season and are 53-9 overall. But they're 1-5 against the Rams, who are 47-10 over that stretch.

Centreville and Robinson have clearly risen above the rest of the region in the last five years, and there are varying opinions as to why.

``I think there are a couple of factors," said Oakton coach Pete Bendorf, whose Cougars lost to both Centreville and Robinson this season. ``First, you certainly have to consider their enrollment. The second is their coaching staffs. They've essentially remained intact over the last five years or so.

``And while both teams have had great talent, the weight programs at both schools are by far better than the others in the region. So they not only have great talent, but they work extremely hard at it in the off-season."

The region's only team with multiple wins over Robinson and Centreville since 1997 is Lake Braddock, though the Bruins lost to both the Rams and Wildcats this season.

``Both Robinson and Centreville have had extremely strong defensive units the last five years," Lake Braddock coach Marty Riddle said. ``Because of that, they've been able to limit what other teams are able to do against them. Neither of their schemes are that complicated, but they're rock-solid and aggressive.

``The other thing is, offensively, their systems chew up a lot of clock time and they've got multiple people who can touch the ball. When you have to try to defend them, you can't load up to stop one thing."

This season, Centreville has been No. 1 and Robinson No. 2 each week since the initial Journal Top 10 poll on Sept. 7. After shutting out the Concorde District a season ago, the Wildcats followed that this season by outscoring their district competition 64-16. They feature the region's stingiest defense in both points (3.9) and yards allowed (82.9) per game.

Robinson's only blemish came in a 14-12 loss to West Potomac four weeks ago. Otherwise, no opponent has come within 13 points of the Rams, who boast the region's top scoring offense (39.4 points per game).

``I look at Centreville's defense, and I'm not sure what's going to work, because it's all been tried," said Robinson coach Mark Bendorf. ``People have tried to pass and they've tried to run. What one thing are we going to be able to do? I don't know. You can't find a team this season that has moved the ball on them with any degree of consistency."

Robinson running back Mike Imoh (1,658 rushing yards, 25 touchdowns) had great success against Centreville in his career before last year's region final, when he was held to a season-low 39 yards on 17 carries. Prior to that, Imoh rushed for a combined 315 yards in two games against Centreville, both Robinson wins.

But the Rams have other weapons. Junior running back Chase Anastasio (400 rushing yards, eight touchdowns) and senior wide receivers Joe Rovansek (12 receptions for 245 yards) and Matt Christopher (four touchdowns) have all made big plays for the Rams this season.

``Obviously, Mike Imoh is a tremendous football player," Centreville coach Mike Skinner said. ``But what scares me is that if you focus in on him too much, their other guys will hurt you."

The Wildcats counter with an offense led by senior running backs Kenneth Tynes (1,417 rushing yards, 19 touchdowns) and Curtis Lewis (eight touchdowns), who has endured a full week of practice for the first time in a month after battling a nagging ankle injury.

One area Centreville appears to have an advantage over Robinson is size on the offensive and defensive lines. That's why spreading the field offensively imperative for the Rams.

``Size-wise, we're O.K.," Skinner said. ``But what Robinson does is they use the whole field, and teams that do that have given us problems this season."

Whichever team emerges victorious Saturday afternoon will soon begin preparation for a state semifinal against the Eastern Region champion.

The loser will likely head back to the weight room Monday and begin working toward next season. That similar dedication has established Robinson and Centreville as the region's best, and at the same time, set the standard for those who aim to join them at the top.