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ESPN RISE - Football

By Charlie Slenker
Special to ESPNRISE.com
Updated: August 28, 2008, 2:54 PM ET

A decade ago, Nathan Scheelhaase and Blaine Dalton met for the first time on a basketball court. They were third-graders then.

Now they're both seniors and two of the best quarterbacks in Missouri. Dalton, No. 115 on the ESPNU 150 and the nation's No. 9 QB, plays for Blue Springs South. Scheelhaase, ESPNU's No. 29 QB, plays for Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo.

The two will meet once again Sunday at Rockhurst (ESPN/ESPN360 12 p.m. ET) in a battle between the past two Missouri Class 6 state champions. It's definitely not the first time their paths have crossed since the first meeting all those years ago.

"We've known each other since about third or fourth grade," Scheelhaase said. "We used to play basketball together. I even played football with his team.

"We've known each other for a while."

A rivalry as well as a deep friendship grew between them as years passed. The two were inseparable at all the different sporting events they competed in together.

Continued...