The Milan High School and Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central football teams are used to playing games with conference titles and state playoff berths on the line.

So when they met last year with combined 2-8 records, both on their way to uncharacteristic losing seasons -- Milan suffered its second losing season in the last 25 years, going 1-8 and St. Mary’s had its third losing season since 1982, at 3-6 -- it was abnormal.

“I think we were both surprised to have down years last year,” St. Mary’s coach Jack Giarmo said. “But you just keep working hard and hopefully good things happen.”

Good things have happened, and this year, all is back to normal.

Milan and SMCC meet Friday in AnnArbor.com’s Game of the Week, after the game garnered more than 1,100 votes, nearly 47 percent, in this week’s poll.

And this year, they meet with a combined 7-1 record and plenty at stake.

Milan comes in alone at 3-0 atop the Huron League standings, and 4-0 overall, coming off a 21-14 win over Grosse Ile, a state semifinalist last year.

While a start like that coming off a one-win season may be rare in high school football, Hoskins said there was a disconnect between internal and external expectations coming into this season.

“I don’t feel like anybody felt like last year was going to define our future,” Hoskins said. “They knew we were going to have a good year this year and worked hard to accomplish it.”

Milan’s turnaround has started on defense, where a large group of returning senior starters has given up only five touchdowns through four games.

Offensively, Arthur Dukes has rushed for 465 yards through four games, second-most in Washtenaw County. The Big Reds utilize two quarterbacks, Justin Aceves and Robert Kanitz.

SMCC stands at 3-1, its lone loss coming to Grosse Ile. Giarmo said his team is still young -- though not as young as last year -- with an entirely new offensive line.

And he expects to find a tough matchup in Milan.

“Milan beat a pretty good Grosse Ile team last week, that’s a pretty good win for them. They’re going against us, they’re confident. I think obviously it’s anybody’s league right now,” Giarmo said.

Milan hasn’t topped SMCC since 2007 (the Falcons went to the state finals in 2009 and 2010), and while that’s a fact that’s not lost on the Big Reds, it’s also not the primary concern.

“They’re very aware of Milan history and match ups, they’re aware of rivalries,” Hoskins said. “But I think their sole concern is getting to win number five.”

Game of the Week coverage:

AnnArbor.com will give the Game of the Week winner its Super Bowl treatment, which will include two reporters covering the game, a live chat that you can follow from your iPhone or Android device, and a photo gallery as well.

Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kyleaustin@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @KAustin_AA.