Playoff spots and postseason positioning will be decided tonight.
Washington (6-2, 6-2) at McGuffey (6-2, 6-2)
With its combination of youthful playmakers, toughness and belief brought on by its first-year coach, Washington has rebounded from a one-win season to a possible second-place team from the always rugged Interstate Conference.
Like the Prexies did last week against Charleroi, the defense must come out and tackle early to establish confidence. McGuffey's stable of physical runners may be the toughest group in the conference.
Here's one of the statistics of the 2009 season: McGuffey has not allowed one point in four home games.
Ringgold (1-4, 3-5) at Trinity (2-3, 3-5)
Anyone think two weeks ago that the winner of this game could make the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs? Let's see those hands.
Ringgold, behind Dylan Patch, is playing spirited, competitive football and the Rams crept back into the Big Seven Conference playoff picture with last week's win over West Mifflin - the first for head coach Lloyd Price. (Ringgold's other two victories were with assistant coach Matt Humbert filling in for the suspended Price.) Think the Rams wish they could have back that performance against Elizabeth Forward?
After a dismal, turnover-filled start, Trinity has won two straight and has beat Ringgold four straight meetings. The Hillers are running the football with greater efficiency while Joe Havrilak, Dustin Avolio and Ken Wilkins are making plays for quarterback Andrew Steratore.
Fort Cherry (4-2, 6-2) at Chartiers-Houston (3-3, 5-3)
Fort Cherry already clinched a WPIAL Class A playoff berth out of the Black Hills Conference but things haven't been easy for the Rangers since a loss to Clairton. To the Rangers' credit, two straight wins but them back in position to claim second place, and a home playoff game, should Serra Catholic lose to Clairton.
Beating rival Chartiers-Houston won't be easy either.
The Bucs' last three wins (Avella, Frazier, Bentworth) has been shutouts. C-H isn't putting up dazzling offensive numbers this year but are winning games with a balanced attack and tough defense. A win here guarantees another trip to the postseason.
Bits and pieces
A victory at Bishop Canevin on Saturday gives South Fayette its first unbeaten and untied season since 1936. Lions quarterback Christian Brumbaugh leads the WPIAL with 22 touchdown passes. … Carmichaels has qualified for the WPIAL Class A playoffs 11 straight years. California has made it 10 straight. One will miss out this year as the two contend for fourth place in the Tri-County South. Carmichaels plays West Greene. California plays Monessen. The Mikes own the head-to-head tiebreaker. … Mapletown's Jarrett Porterfield leads the WPIAL with 46 receptions. The Maples have attempted 232 passes and completed less than 40 percent of them. … Five players are in contention for the local scoring title. Fort Cherry's Gary Kiefer enters the final week with 98 points and is followed by Carmichaels' Anthonie Farrar (96), California's D.J. Martinak (92), Jefferson-Morgan's Ryan Knight (84) and South Fayette's Jeff Davis (84).
23 comments:
Did Sammy The Bull Guidi quit the FC football team?
Thanks for the info.
wow cardiac kids come up just short this time. congrats to mcguffey and wash high for great seasons so far. wash high will get some experience for these young kids in the playoffs. great job freshman qb josh wise 0-0 first half. brown sat 1st half (internal issue). big plays in 4th qrt. team just does not quit.good luck to both teams. good luck trinity
Congrats to Trinity....They dominated Ringgold in a game that wasnt as close as 24-10..
just want to say great job to wash high for not giving up..it was an nail biting game...now lets get ready for the playoffs..and to all the boys on that team, dont beat yourselves and dont let no one else beat u...keep ur heads up its not ova...leave all (interal issue) out of the next game..get focused on the u...the prexies...the mighty mighty prexies..
The WPIAL Playoffs are ridiculous. Of the 32 AAAA & AAA teams that have "qualified" for the playoffs...10(TEN) have sub .500 records.
AAAA....6 of 16
Baldwin, Latrobe, North Hill, Penn Hills, Plum, & Penn Trafford.
AAA....4 of 16
Derry, Knoch, Laurel Highlands and our very own Trinity.
This is a disgrace, the playoffs should be a reward for a good regular season, not for teams with 2 or 3 wins. When nearly 1/3 of the teams have sub.500 records the playoffs become a joke.
My solution is only take the top 3 teams from each conference(12 total), the 4 conference champions gets a BYE, the conference runner-up still gets a home game. Week 2 still remains the quarter finals but you've eliminated the tradional week 1 playoff blowouts.
I realize because of the GREED of the WPIAL this is only a pipe dream, but there's nothing wrong with dreaming.
On the brightside....wrestling season has now arrived at CM and the 9 week conditioning program(CM football season) is finally over.
I think it is time for Avella to be out of the 'lovable losers' category. They battled with Burgettstown last night and should have had an opportunity for a two point conversion to send it to overtime. There is no reason Avella couldn't have beat Bentworth and Frazier. They have some good players on their team. I think Avella got hosed by the officials with the goal line fumbel call with under a minute to play.
*Superman*
Anonymous at 8:51am. The reason for the wshed down play-offs in the upper classes is the lower number of teams. If you go to 3 spots in AA, there are some great 4th place teams that get left out. For example, the interstate conf. this year, Wash High has a great shot to beat a conference champ next week. In AAAA, they only play 6 conference games compared to 9 conference games in AA. I think the problem is in the numbers, something should be done to equalize the classifications.
Ringgold and Trinity game set high school football back years and the wpial has to do something aith AAAA and AAA football conferences because teams getting in with losing records makes the playoff system look like a joke. What happened to the Big Macs? Is this the end for Guy. Big Mac fans who said Peters couldn't beat a AAAA team what that's make the Mac's.
Despite the game not being close for Ringgold, Ringgold failed to punch it in TWICE from inside the 10 and had a fumble return for a TD called back.
Big Mac fans in you're 3 wins the teams you beat had 6 wins total and you talked all year about the Peter's Twp. Indians being no good or overrated what's that make the Mac's? We have bragging right's for a whole year.
@ Anon 10-31-09 8:18 PM
Youre right that Ringgold had chances but they can thank Trinity for that. The fumble return for a TD was a bad call - while I agree a penalty took place - it was 25 yards from the ball carrier and had no effect on the play...Sometimes these officials need to use discretion...
As a Ringgold follower, I had no prior opinion of Dalton but I came away unimpresed..His play calling kept Ringgold in the game and here is an example....Trinity scores on their first possession of the first half - all run plays. They force a Ringold punt - get the ball near their 40 yd line and Dalton calls a pass play and Rimggold intercepts it and returned it 30+ yards into Trinity territory....Please tell me why? To keep Ringgold of-balance? Your running game was destroying Rams - keep going to the well until they stop it and up to that point, Ringgold wasnt able to do it..Dont get tricky - jam the ball down their throats until they prove they can stop it.....I thank you because it kept Ringgold in the game...Coaches who out-think themselves hurt their own team....
I`ll say it agian BALDWIN in PETERS and CM out.Don`t count your chickens B-4 they hatch oh will beat baldwin give us a W you have to earn it younz should of known when that coach left cougar mountian he would bring some pride back to the highlanders program keep posting about your teams so we can keep laughing in the south hills thank god for GATORADE so younz can watch wrestling and say how great you are
honestly peter fans, to sound content with not making the playoffs but beating cm, seems cowardly to me
Actually Sword, there were 2 penalties on the fumble recovery (It was explained on the radio). The one that was accepted was the one 20 yards behind the play when one of the Ringgold kids blocked a Trinity kid in the back. Stupid on his part! No Ref in the world would keep the flag in his pocket! That is a cheap shot and a dangerous move. PENALTY EVERY TIME! Also, there was a second penalty. At the 30 yardline, Trinity's QB Steratore was running behind the ball carrier and was cut by a Ringgold player. The head official threw a flag on that as well. Kids should know cut blocking is illegal unless it is in the tackle box.
As for the Trinity play calling, I do agree with you! Why throw the ball 3 straight times inside the 5?!!! Trinity was killing Ringgold up front.
As for the interception, Trinity threw multiple TD's in the past 2 weeks because teams were stacking 9 in the box. Good idea to take a chance. It backfired, but the way the defense was playing, they could afford to take a shot down field.
WJPA said that the Trinity Defense only gave up 45 total yards of offense!! That is amazing.
If Mike's right and Trinity gets a 13th seed and draws West Allrghney it Will be one and done for Trinity. There won't be one team from Washington County in the semi-finals of the playoffs and maybe not one make it to the 2nd round. Let's just realize Washington County football stinks. Bring out the wrestling mats.
@ November 1, 2009 4:18 PM..
Your points are well taken about throwing when teams are stacking the box but Ringgold wasnt putting 8 or 9 in the box..This was after halftime when teams are supposed to make adjustments.......If Ringgold decided to stack the box, Richards would have broken some long runs because he wasnt getting touched until he got into the secondary..maybe Ringgold's coaches decided to keep the safeties back realizing it might be better to give up 7 or 8 yds at a clip as compared to 20-25 yds....Ringgold's DB's easily were their leading tacklers on Fri...
honestly peter fans, to sound content with not making the playoffs but beating cm, seems cowardly to me
November 1, 2009 1:55 PM
What is cowardly is making excuses after each blowout loss....every team has had to suffer through illness & injury but no other team or community has whined about it as much as the c-burg macs. The crying, whining & excuse making for yet another under-achieving season.......that is COWARDLY!
What a game for Wash High~McGuffy, it was a great match, always has been always will. The High is the first team to score points on the Highlanders field, KUDO to the PREXIES!!! They are a group of young men who know how to make plays and perservere!! WAY TO TO PREXIES!! GOOD LUCK IN THE FIRST ROUND!!
Already a very small group of disgruntled PT parents are formulating their game plan to get Nick Milchovich fired. One school board member, who knows absolutely nothing about the football program, is suddnely very much interested in what's happening. Only in PT!
It is absolutely despicable that parents in PT would be plotting to get rid of Milchovich. He has taken a program in disarray and gotten it from being a poor AAA team to a team that can beat most AAA competition and is starting to play much more competitively at AAAA. The kids are getting stronger and tougher and the numbers are good (80 players this year).
The majority of the staff are in the school buildings working with kids on a daily basis and are good people.
This is yet another example of how parents need to stay back and give people time to build a program and do a job. Metheny at Bethel Park took several years to get his program on track at a high level as did many of the successful coaches in the area. Good people, doing a good job = get rid of them to many people in PT; it's sad considering how successful the entire sports program is.
Nick is a great guy and a great leader for that team. You could see this coming; if the team fails it must be the coaches fault, it cannot be because the kids failed. Thats the way it works in a "make your kids feel good" society. Pass the blame, don't take it.
Hopefully whichever moron school board member is unable to raise sufficient support in this ridiculous quest. Nick will do very well if he is given the time. He is head and shoulders above the clown that was there before.
There is no plot to get rid of Coach Milch. People just come on here to try and stir the pot because they dont want to play a successful Peters Township team that there will be in the future
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