Familiarity Breeds Good Matchups in Tonight’s Finals : 3-A Championship (8 p.m.): Strategies won’t be a mystery when Morse takes another run at Rancho Buena Vista.

The football game that should have been played last year wasn’t. Instead, it was played at the beginning of this season.

Then, both teams won--sort of. And both teams lost--sort of.

And now they have come full circle: Rancho Buena Vista and Morse for the San Diego Section 3-A championship at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium tonight at 8.

Got all that?

RBV played in the matinee game in the stadium last year and defeated San Pasqual, 21-10, for the section 2-A championship. Morse played in the second game of the annual double-header and defeated Orange Glen, 31-28, in the 3-A title game.

They were two outstanding football teams, and local high school football fans wondered, what if? . . .

The answer came this fall when RBV opened at home Sept. 9 against Morse. RBV, now playing in 3-A, won handily, 35-20. But a month later, the Longhorns discovered they had used an ineligible player--a 14-year-old--and ended up with two forfeits. Morse was one of them, so the Tigers got a victory that still felt like a loss.

By now, there are very few secrets between these two. After 10 regular season and three playoff games, plus scouting trips and film sessions, Morse and RBV know each other very well.

That’s why tonight’s game will come down to a simple battle for ball control. RBV (10-3), with it’s fabulous rushing game, will try to keep it. Morse (11-2) will try to take it away.

To do that, Morse Coach John Shacklett will use a five-man defensive front and attempt to match up with the Longhorns.

“We’re not going to get too fancy--we’re not talking brain surgery here,” Shacklett said. “We’ll just try to match up and play smash-’em football.”

He is wary of an RBV running game that has yet to be stopped. The Longhorns have scored 601 points this season (46.2 a game), a section record. They are 309 yards short of breaking their year-old state record of 5,540 yards rushing in a season. Fullback O.J. Hall (2,002 yards) and tailback Markeith Ross (1,948) are about to become the first teammates in California history to each go over 2,000 yards.

But Shacklett isn’t scared.

“They’re a good high school football team,” he said. “They’re not ready to take on the Chargers. It’s just one of those years for them.”

Morse, which has advanced to the section championship game the past three seasons, has several big-play threats of its own. Start with quick, shifty quarterback Teddy Lawrence, who can beat you through the air (1,527 yards passing this season) and on the ground (505 rushing). Then look to his favorite target, wide receiver David Dunn. In Morse-RBV I this year, Lawrence and Dunn hooked up for three touchdown passes--54, 32 and eight yards.

And the Morse running game certainly is capable. Jessie Campbell (1,347 yards) and Ututofo Faime (803) get the bulk of the work.

So RBV will have to play a little defense, too.

“The less time Teddy and the boys have the ball, the more time we have to control it,” RBV Coach Craig Bell said. “I’m probably not doing justice to the rest of their athletes, but Lawrence handles the ball on every play.

“Morse is quick, probably the quickest team we’ve played. And they’re very poised.”

RBV’s only on-field loss in its past 27 games came this season to Point Loma, 42-35. RBV got another crack at Point Loma in the section semifinals. The Longhorns won, 56-36. They didn’t punt once.

“I hate to get into matching scores with them,” Shacklett said. “I’d like to force them to punt a couple of times.”