COUNCIL BLUFFS — If history teaches us anything, it's that Friday night's 7 o'clock showdown between Council Bluffs St. Albert and West Lyon at Al Leber Field will go a long way toward deciding the Class 1-A football title.

The powers have met five times in the postseason in the past 11 years, and the winner has advanced to the championship game on each occasion.

Four of those five winners have gone on to win state titles. Last year's West Lyon team, which lost to Emmetsburg 3-0 in the 1-A final at the UNI-Dome, is the only one that didn't.

The teams have won five state titles between them in the past 11 years. So to say that this week's quarterfinal is a biggie would be an understatement.

With defending champ and top-rated Emmetsburg already eliminated, the unbeaten Falcons (11-0) and fifth-ranked Wildcats (10-1) are two of the odds-on favorites to claim the 1-A title trophy. Considering the history of this rivalry, don't be surprised if the winner of tonight's game is playing on championship Saturday.

“They're one of the perennial powers in the state,” St. Albert coach Kevin Culjat said. “I don't know how many times we've met in the last 10 years, but every single time one of us has ended up going to the championship game.

“They're a great ballclub. They're very well coached. And their kids play hard. They're going to come down here and give us everything we can handle, I'm sure.”

West Lyon comes to Council Bluffs on a nine-game winning streak. Its only loss came to Class 2-A No. 3 Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, which is still unbeaten and alive in the playoffs. Senior Jesse Selgeby makes the Wildcats go, having rushed for 1,442 yards and 19 touchdowns.

St. Albert will counter with an offense that is playing its best ball of the season. Senior quarterback Jake Waters, who has thrown 25 touchdown passes with only two interceptions, had four TD passes and two scoring runs in Monday's win over Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn.

The Falcons' past three games have been their three best performances of the season, Culjat said. Against West Lyon, they'll need their fourth to earn a trip to the UNI-Dome for the sixth time in seven years.

“It's going to be big on Friday night,” Culjat said. “That's going to be epic.”