By Matt Popchock

(mpopchock@kdka.com)

The Class AAAA Northern Seven Conference game between North Allegheny and Shaler next Friday will have a few extra faces in the crowd on Mount Royal Boulevard.

ROOT Sports has chosen the critical Week 8 contest for its next live high school football broadcast, according to ROOT Sports’ Rob King and the Tribune-Review’s Kevin Gorman. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 at Lou Martig Stadium, with a re-airing of the game scheduled for next Friday at midnight, and Sun., Oct. 23 at 1:30 p.m.

The Titans (3-0, 5-1), meanwhile, have earned back some of their preseason hype after a rocky and injury-filled start to their 2011 campaign, coming off a 41-28 homecoming win over Erie McDowell last Saturday afternoon. They visit Seneca Valley (1-2, 4-2) in Northern Seven action this Friday at 7:30.

But now with local TV cameras present, they face a little added pressure while trying to solve the visiting PIAA Class AAAA champs, a team that has traditionally manhandled Shaler on the gridiron. N.A. has won an incredible 24 of the last 25 meetings, and if the Tigers (3-0, 6-0) hold serve at home against Pine-Richland (1-3, 1-5) this Friday at 7:30, then they, in all probability, will successfully defend their Northern Seven championship if they beat Shaler again.

ROOT Sports’ Week 7 telecast is a 7:30 kickoff from Antimarino Stadium between Gateway and visiting Pittsburgh Central Catholic in Quad-A non-conference action–a game that can also be heard as “The UPMC Centers for Rehab Services Game of the Week” on 93.7 The Fan. Pre-game coverage on The Fan begins at 6:00 P.M. Friday.

(Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/mpopchock)