A pair of teams going in opposite directions meet in east Mesa on Friday.

The fourth-ranked Mesa Red Mountain Lions play host to Mesa Skyline in Division I play with the playoffs looming. Red Mountain, ninth in power points would like to finish strong to improve its seeding for the postseason. The Lions have won five in a row since stumbling against Mesquite and Brophy early in the year and have a balanced run-pass attack that has produced four lopsided wins and a come-from-behind victory over talented Desert Ridge.

The Lions have speedy Marcus Brantley and workhorse Cougar Garcia in the backfield while quarterback Mason Thorman has a trio of receivers to throw to. That offense is clicking at a 31.7 point-per-game average and the Lions have put up 117 points over the last two weeks. At 6-2, Red Mountain is on a roll and finishes with Skyline and Gilbert Highland in its effort to get a high seed for the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Skyline has lost six straight after starting the season with easy wins over Kingman and Carl Hayden. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse last week when quarterback Michael Amado suffered a neck injury that ended up with him being taken by paramedics. As it is, the Coyotes have struggled on offense, averaging just over a touchdown a game over the last four weeks. Bouncing back against another Mesa school – with its eye on the postseason – would do wonders for a team that came into the year with high expectations after a disappointing 1-10 season a year ago.

-Al Bravo