MORGANTOWN — John Kelley has to stop and think to recall the last time his University High Hawks have been favored against Morgantown High in the MoHawk Bowl.

Then again, he understands that it really doesn’t matter whether his team is the favorite or not.

“It’s meaningless to us,” Kelley said. “We’ve been the underdog the last seven or eight years but I don’t know what that means. I know when I say this I make our fans cringe, but I approach this game like any other game. I know it only makes up 1/10th of your season.”

Right, and John Kelley doesn’t want Ed McMahon knocking on his door with that Publisher’s Clearinghouse Jackpot, either.

Having said that, you know what Kelley was going to say next.

That’s right, he offered the obligatory reference to throwing out the records, as if he wanted to throw out his 8-1 season, although it is highly possible that John Bowers at Morgantown wouldn’t mind erasing that 5-4 record he possesses.

Kelley admits this year’s MoHawk Bowl, which will be played at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Milan Puskar Stadium is, a bit different from normal.

“There’s more at stake,” he pointed out.

Certainly his team is playing the best it has all season, and he doesn’t want to see that end, least of all with a loss to the cross-town rival that is MHS. Taking a 9-1 record into the playoffs will guarantee him a few home playoff games.

“We haven’t been home for the playoffs in multiple years,” he said.

At the same time, Morgantown is unaccustomed to being the underdog.

“University is having the best season they’ve had in a long time,” Bowers noted. “It’s their time be in the limelight. Anyone who thought we could continue the run we were on forever is a fool.”

Morgantown has been fighting for state championships, actually winning a pair of them, over the past several years. This year, though, they’ve had their problems, especially protecting quarterback Ben Miller.

“There were times when I was feeling badly for Benny Miller’s parents,” Bowers said, only half joking.

But as the season has progressed, so has Morgantown.

“Morgantown has been really good the second half of the season,” Kelley said. “No disrespect to the other nine teams we’ve played, but Morgantown will be the best team we’ve faced this year. And now they have tremendous incentive, having been upset this week by John Marshall.”

Indeed, while UHS took care of business in routing Preston, 40-0, on the road in its final game before the MoHawk Bowl, Morgantown saw its four-game winning streak come to an end, 21-13, with a defeat by John Marshall at Pony Lewis Field.

“I talked to the kids and told them they’ve been waiting all year to play this game. Now it’s here,” Kelley said.

Kelley’s Hawks have to be considered a prime contender for the state crown in a Class AAA field that is rich in talent, including unbeaten Robert C. Byrd, defending champion Parkersburg and a Martinsburg team that has its two forfeit overturned in court.

He has a powerful running game with Brandon Tucker leading the way. With Tucker out with a shoulder injury against Preston, he unleashed fullback Dominique Dixon, who had a 49-yard touchdown among his two scores while gaining 85 yards.

“He hadn’t been hitting the hole like he should,” Kelley said. “I teased him after the Preston game and told him, ‘You finally ran like Jerry Kelly.’”

That Kelly, of course, is the Fairmont West star.

In addition, he offers the passing game of quarterback Mark Golden and receiver Ryan Nehlen. Against Preston, Nehlen caught a career-high eight passes including a touchdown, most of them difficult grabs.

“After one of them I stepped on the field to give Mark the next play and said to him, ‘Boy, are you lucky you have him,’” Kelley recalled.

Toss in there other targets like Chad Shade and Derrick Bishop and the UHS offense is dangerous.

The defense, led by linebacker Ryan Watts, has been even tougher, giving up very little all season.

Morgantown has had far too many ups and downs, so inconsistent that Bowers doesn’t know what to expect in any game … including this one.

“We’ve showed signs of brilliance. We’ve showed signs of … what’s the other side of brilliance? It’s very frustrating.”

Bowers admits that comparative scores often show nothing, but he noted that his team lost by four points to Brooke and UHS went into overtime with that same team, that the Mohigans beat West Fairmont while UHS lost to the Polar Bears.

“They found ways to win games this year. We found ways to lose them. If we come out playing our best, I like the Mohigans,” Bowers said.

E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.