Roosevelt's Vincent McNeil Jr. and Royse City's Richard Morrison have never met.

Still, there's a level of respect between the two quarterbacks as strong as one that would involve life-long competitors.

McNeil and Morrison have watched video and heard stories about each other. On Friday night, in a 3A Division I Region II area-round matchup, they will line up as opponents.

Fans have been anticipating the matchup since both teams qualified for the playoffs weeks ago, largely because of the quarterbacks.

"We always look at team matchups, but I know that will be a lot of fun watching them," Royse City coach Rodney Webb said. "From my perspective, they are two of the best in the state."

McNeil, a senior, is among the area's most versatile athletes. He has rushed for 1,339 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has passed for 1,596 yards and 30 touchdowns. McNeil (6-2, 195) averages a passing touchdown almost every third completion.

Last week, McNeil threw for 217 yards and six touchdowns in a 46-10 bi-district win against Kennedale. Three weeks ago against Madison, he passed for 197 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 209 yards and another score.

"I don't think you shut him down. I think what you do is try to minimize his impact on the game," Webb said of McNeil. "There's no special kind of magic bullet to stopping him."

Morrison added: "He's more like a Vince Young-type of quarterback. He can run and can throw, and he controls that whole lineup."

McNeil also will see time in the secondary, meaning he will play against Morrison, a junior who transferred from Garland Naaman Forest after his freshman year.

Morrison (6-0, 165) passed for 261 yards and a touchdown in Royse City's 21-14 bi-district win last week against Frisco Wakeland. He also scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard sneak in the final minute.

JOHN F. RHODES / DMN | AMY CONN-GUTIERREZ / Special to DMN

Roosevelt's Vincent McNeil Jr. (left) and Royse City's Richard Morrison will face off in Friday's playoff game.

Morrison, more of a pocket passer, has thrown for 3,158 yards – best among all area public schools in all classifications – and 31 touchdowns. His statement performance came during the team's third game, as he threw for 484 yards and five touchdowns against Canton.

"I've seen him a couple times in person, and he's pretty much every bit of what you hear," Roosevelt coach Joseph Daniels said. "He's a good athlete with a really good arm, and he likes to go vertical with it."

"He's good, and we have to be mentally prepared and focused," McNeil added. "We can't have any mistakes against him."

Royse City hopes to keep McNeil's scrambling to a minimum. Roosevelt wants to force Morrison to make plays outside of the pocket.

Roosevelt, in addition, has to focus on Royse City receivers Carlos Gallegos, J.T. Thompson and Elias Kawesa and running back Bert Boudreaux, who have combined for 164 receptions and 24 touchdowns.

Royse City must contend with Roosevelt receiver Quintell Solomon and running back Kevin Booker, who have 57 receptions and 16 touchdowns between them. Booker also has 11 rushing touchdowns and needs 70 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the season.

"I think both teams look at this game as a challenge," Daniels said. "They want to test their skills against two great teams with two great quarterbacks. It's the next game and the next step in the playoffs."

Royse City (11-0) vs. Roosevelt (10-1): 3A Region II Division I area round 7:30 p.m. Friday, Garland's Homer B. Johnson Stadium. Radio KXEZ-FM 92.1

*Note: Roosevelt scored 34 points in a season-opening win against Lincoln, but Lincoln was forced to forfeit that game. The official score was reported, 2-0, in Roosevelt's favor. Roosevelt is averaging 40.3 points per game if the original score is calculated rather than the forfeit score.