Pitt and Penn State won’t renew their football rivalry until 2016. Consider this a head start on the renewal.

Central Valley will meet Harrisburg’s Bishop McDevitt Friday night at Altoona’s Mansion Park Stadium in the PIAA Class AAA semifinals. The teams are 14-0, and a number of players will factor into the outcome of the game. But a big story line heading into the contest is Jordan Whitehead vs. Andre Robinson.

Four-star recruit vs. four-star recruit.

Pitt vs. Penn State.

Whitehead is Central Valley’s star senior running back and a Pitt recruit. Although he is slated to play defense at Pitt, Whitehead (6 feet, 180 pounds) has tortured high school defenses at running back and kick returner.

Robinson is Bishop McDevitt’s star senior running back and a Penn State recruit. Although he missed five games in September and October with a leg injury, Robinson (5-10, 210) still has been a force.

The matchup will create interest among Pitt and Penn State fans because this is a rarity. You will have a hard time coming up with the last time two such high-profile recruits for Pitt and Penn State played running back for opposing teams.

But Whitehead and Robinson are quick to point out this game is no personal battle.

“I know he is a running back going to Penn State,” Whitehead said. “I know him and he knows me. So it should be a good matchup.”

Whitehead and Robinson know each other from an unofficial visit to Penn State.

“I’ve heard he’s doing well,” Robinson said. “I’m just excited to play against a good prospect and another good team. We’re lucky to still be playing. I’m really excited for this game.”

Whitehead’s yards-per-carry average is a whopping 15.0 while Robinson’s is 8.2. Robinson missed five games with a bone bruise in his leg and has rushed for 1,463 yards. Whitehead has rushed for 1,724 yards.

Whitehead and Robinson seem to be playing their best the past month or so. Robinson ran for 225 yards two weeks ago. Whitehead has scored 16 touchdowns in five postseason games.

“Our team has definitely been peaking. The past couple games have been our best games,” Robinson said. “I think I am playing my best right now, too. I’m just doing whatever I can to help our team win.”

But Bishop McDevitt is much more than Robinson. The Crusaders have a number of Division I college prospects, both juniors and seniors. Quarterback Nick Marsilio, a 6-3, 190-pound senior, is having a terrific season, completing 203 of 318 passes for 3,555 yards and 41 touchdowns. Running back Que’Shawn Jenkins, a 6-1, 225-pound senior, has rushed for 1,003 yards on 112 carries.

Bishop McDevitt has a strong group of receivers, led by 6-foot, 175-pound junior Kobay White, who has caught 69 passes for 1,181 yards. White already has scholarship offers from Pitt, Michigan State and Georgia Tech, among others. Considering the receiver talent, Whitehead also will be a factor at defensive back.

On the Bishop McDevitt line, 6-2, 275-pound junior Anthony Long already has scholarship offers from Pitt, Georgia Tech and Boston College, among others.

Defensively, McDevitt has allowed only 16 points in the past four games but gave up 31, 33 and 22 points in three games this season.

Central Valley’s school has been in existence for only five years, while Bishop McDevitt is in at least the semifinals for the fifth consecutive season. The Crusaders lost in the title game in 2010 and 2011.

“I think both teams are pretty good and I think both teams are pretty even,” Robinson said.

First Published: December 3, 2014, 5:00 a.m.