Players on the Monticello football team don't need to be reminded about the details of their first meeting with Western Albemarle this season.

"We're not talking about it that much. We didn't even watch that much film on it," senior Chase Phillips said Wednesday. "It pretty much just showed us about the first quarter, and we realized that we played pretty bad. And we're going to do better this time."

"You turn on that film and you look back about five weeks ago, and what you see -- I did see a good Western Albemarle football team. But I also saw a Monticello football team that absolutely did not execute," said Monticello head coach Rodney Redd, whose Mustangs get another shot at the Warriors this Friday night in the Region II, Division 3 semifinals.

"So the focus is definitely on us. Not on them, or anyone else."

Both teams were 4-0 heading into their September 29 meeting at Monticello. But the Mustangs were shut out on their home field, 28-0, by the eventual Jefferson District champions.

"We were pretty mad," Monticello senior Willie James said. "Just a lot of anger and frustration. We pretty much beat up ourselves. We didn't lose to them; we pretty much lost to ourselves."

The Mustangs lost again six days later at Charlottesville to fall to 4-2. But since then they've rattled off five straight wins, including last Friday's 44-14 win over Fauquier County in the Region II quarterfinals.

That win set up this week's rematch with the Warriors, who advanced with a 55-20 victory over Charlottesville in the Region II quarterfinals.

"We're excited to get out there and play them again," Phillips said. "We definitely wanted the second chance. And we knew that if we took care of business and that might happen. So we're just excited to get out there and get after them again."

"It's just great to get a second shot," agreed junior lineman Adam Hill. "We've just got to show what we've got, show them what we've got. We just need to come out hard and strong, not like last game."

"This group has a lot of pride. They have a lot of tradition over here," said Redd. "They have the utmost respect for Western Albemarle and their athletic programs, and their football team. And that in itself is enough for them to take this game seriously, and come down here and do what they need to do."