Pleasant Grove’s football team has one thing that Napa doesn’t and that is size.

Eagles star lineman Armond Armstead stands at a staggering 6 feet, 6 inches and weighs in at 284 pounds. The rest of their linemen aren’t quite as huge as the senior, who’s already committed to USC, but they still tower over most of the Indians’ linemen.

“They’re a very big, physical team,” Indians head coach Troy Mott said. “They do a lot of good things offensively and defensively. It’s going to be a challenge, but we expect it to be at this time of the year. Nothing’s going to come easy. The first thing you’ll see on Friday night is how big they are. That’s the most impressive thing.”

Pleasant Grove head coach Joe Cattolico said that size is always beneficial at the collegiate level but not always the case in high school football. But that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t helped the Eagles to a 10-1 overall record and a No. 7 spot in the Sacramento Bee’s final poll.

“We’re big up front and that’s been something that’s helped us all year long, especially on the defensive front,” Cattolico said. “It’s tough to say if it will make a difference. The kids from Napa are awfully, awfully good up front. Sometimes in high school the big kids wear the other ones out. But other times the smaller guys can beat the big guys. We’re hoping that we’ll be able to use the size as an advantage a little bit.”

He’s counting on Armstead as well as the rest of the Eagles to keep Napa from hitting its average of 43-plus points a game because he knows that if the Indians put up a 40-spot, Pleasant Grove is liable to not advance to the section semifinals on Nov. 30.

“We hope that we match up well,” Cattolico said. “We know that we definitely have our work cut out for us. We think we have some pretty good football players and good kids overall, so we hope we can be competitive come Friday night. We know it’s going to be tough, but our kids are excited. It’s kind of what you would expect this time of year.

“I think how hard their kids play, how physical and aggressive they are ... A lot of cases they have kids who never come off the field and play at a great level and intensity and execution and that’s impressive. That’s a tribute to those kids and obviously those coaches, to be able to mentally and physically be able to do that.”

Napa is ranked No. 1 in the Sac Bee’s poll, just one point ahead of undefeated and fellow playoff contender Elk Grove (11-0). The winner of the Elk Grove/Vacaville game will play the Napa/Pleasant Grove winner in the semifinals. Napa would host Vacaville or travel to Elk Grove. Both games are at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

One advantage the Indians have is they have two key offensive weapons: John Boyett and Jake Croxdale. But that doesn’t mean Napa doesn’t have other tools in its arsenal. Boyett’s 1,316 passing yards and 15 touchdowns have been spread out among nine different receivers, and four other running backs have double-digit carries.

Deonte Williams is pretty much Pleasant Grove’s lone offensive threat, but he sure is a big one. The 5-foot-10, 174-pound senior running back has rushed for 2,243 yards and 25 touchdowns on 293 carries. He’s tallied 27 scores total, one coming on a reception and another on special teams. Over 11 games, Williams has averaged 203.9 yards per game on the ground.

“Obviously they want to run the football,” Mott said. “We’ve been good against the run. Every team, every week poses a challenge for you. It’s just a matter of trying to do your best and work to your strengths and work hard on your weaknesses you think you might have and do your best to overcome those weaknesses with those strengths. It’s up to the kids and the coaches to figure out those challenges and be on top of their game.”

Boyett averages more than 104 yards rushing a game as well as almost 120 yards passing. Croxdale picks up an average of 149 yards on the ground.

“They’re an outstanding high school football team,” Cattolico said. “Obviously two real standout players and a bunch of other kids who are also great football players. They’ve made a lot of big plays. They’re very well-coached and just an outstanding high school football program.

“No one has been able to stop Boyett and Croxdale all year long. That worries the heck out of me. That will be a big part of the challenge to contain. I don’t think we’ll be able to stop them but contain them into reasonable yardage, hopefully. All year long, they’ve really, really put up big numbers. It scares the heck out of us.”

Only one other Pleasant Grove running back has carried the ball for more than 200 yards — total — and sophomore quarterback Taylor Congdon has completed 31-of-57 passes for just 518 yards and four touchdowns.

“Deonte has been very, very good with us all year long and obviously a big part about getting us to where we are,” Cattolico said. “We just have to make sure other guys are making plays and doing things to take the focus off him. Hopefully it’s a collective effort.”

One of Napa’s main defensive goals week after week is keeping any opposing rusher from having a 100-yard game. The Indians reached that goal in their last two games and missed it only four times, allowing 104 to Armijo in Week 9, 179 to Vallejo in Week 3, 131 to Granite Bay in Week 2, and 190 to Del Campo in Week 1.

So obviously Napa’s Black Shirts are only getting better. They proved it last week when they recovered four fumbles and snagged an interception. Oh yeah, and they had five sacks and six other tackles for minus or no yardage.

Defensive coordinator Ian MacMillan expected the defense to take a while to solidify not only because of the new schemes but also because he was new and didn’t know each player’s strengths and weaknesses. Now that everyone is where they should be, they’ve improved from week to week — which makes MacMillan prouder than a new dad.

“The kids have definitely taken under control and just basically just run the show out there themselves,” MacMillan said. “I’m very proud of them for them to be at this point. We knew it would take a while, but now it looks like they’ve been running it for a couple years. It’s exciting to see how well they play together.”

Considering Williams’ yardage this season, it’s apparent no one has been able to stop the running back. Napa has already faced one of the best running backs in the section when it played — and beat — Vacaville in Week 8. Terrance Dailey was nursing a sprained ankle and was held to 65 yards and no touchdowns.

But Williams is not only better than Dailey on paper, but he’s healthy.

“Deonte is a stud,” MacMillan said. “He’s a very good back. To have that many carries in high school and look as good, he’s running right now how he ran in Week 1. He knows when to cut, bounce out. He knows when there’s no hole. He has a very good awareness of the field and he’s quick.

“He definitely has more kick to him than Dailey. He’s dangerous when he gets to the outside, for sure. The thing with him is just being able to contain him. It’s going to be a challenge to stop him. It will be a challenge for all of us and I’m excited for that.”

Though he’s excited his Indians made it to Week 12, Mott isn’t as forthcoming with his enthusiasm.

“Everything worries me,” Mott admitted. “That’s my job, right? That’s part of the game.

“I know our kids will be ready. They’re preparing well and that makes me less worried. They get it and know how to prepare. They’re a confident group. I wouldn’t say they’re brash but they are definitely believing in themselves and I’m proud of them for that. They should believe in themselves. They’re a good football team. You have to play an A game every week. If we do, and get some breaks, hopefully we’ll come out on top in the end.”

Napa at Pleasant Grove

Friday, 7:30 p.m.

At Sheldon High School, Sacramento

Radio: KVON, 1440 AM, 7 p.m.