At a certain point in every season, teams find out whether the hype is real.

It’s Scottsdale Christian’s turn Friday.

“We believe we can go all the way,” multi-position player Ben Tobin said after last week’s victory. “That’s the ultimate goal. That’s why we’ve been grinding day after day.”

The Eagles (4-1) arguably face their toughest test in region rival Arizona Lutheran Academy Friday. Going into the game, these teams rank No. 1 and 2 in the Agua Fria region.

This contest holds implications on the rest of the season and possibly the playoffs and could also serve as a barometer to judge how good each team is.

“This game means a lot to us,” defensive coach Mike Patterson said. “It will show us where we are at right now, it will also show what we need to improve on in the next five weeks to make that playoff push."

The Coyotes come into the game with a 5-0 record and a ground and pound mentality.

“They’re going to eat up the clock and try to keep the ball away from (our) offense’s hands while at the same time just beating up our players,” coach Jason Cauley said. “We have to create turnovers. That’s our key.”

Seniors Brandon Garcia and Jamie Heyn have carried the load for the Coyotes offense. Both rank top three in rushing yards and are the top two players in total yards in the region.

This two-headed yard monster will be a difficult test for the Eagles defense, which has been dominant this season.

“Defensively you have to put in a contingency plan in case their offense starts moving the ball,” Cauley said. “Once they start moving the ball you switch it up to make the offensive line think we have different blocking assignments.”

For the Eagles to win, they must slow down the Coyotes running game. Garcia has recorded a mind boggling 583 yards and Heyn is right behind him with 493 yards.

Arizona Lutheran has not successfully thrown the ball more than six times in a game this season.

“They don’t throw the ball a lot but when they do they get a lot of yards and score so our players have to do their jobs and be physical,” Patterson said.

The game is at Scottsdale Christian.