Protime’s Pigskin Ponderings – Favorite Movies & Playoff Favorites

Tagged under: News, pfn, Protime Predictions

Phil Myers | November 5, 2026

Protime and the lovely Mrs. P have busy days.  At night (not on Fridays or Saturdays during high school football season) they like to relax and watch NCIS or hockey or old movies.  And by old movies, Protime means ‘old’ movies.  He is talking about movies usually from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.  Just the other day they watched ‘Morning Glory’ from 1933 with Katherine Hepburn and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.  Hepburn won the Academy Award for her performance in that flick.

Here are Protime’s top movies of all-time that would be well worth a watch.  Protime says, you high school kids heading off to college should take an elective movie class and maybe you’ll see one of these pictures.  

• Casablanca (1942)
• Citizen Kane (1941)
• Double Indemnity (1944)
• Gone with the Wind (1939)
• It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
• On the Waterfront (1954)
• The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
• To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
• Vertigo (1958)

Now for some ponderings about the upcoming playoffs.  Protime will start with the big boys in 6A.  Obviously, Pittsburgh Central Catholic has to be the odds on favorite.  They have thrown 5 straight shutouts defensively and are ranked in the MaxPreps Top 20.  But their matchup with St. College in a couple weeks may be their toughest test to win the 2026 state championship.  Protime also likes Bishop McDevitt to possibly be a threat.  The PCC-McDevitt contest would be in the state semifinals.  In the ‘Eastern’ side of the bracket, it will be almost anyone as far as Protime can tell.  There are a hodgepodge of very good teams, and if one of the others gets hot, they could win as well.  Protime will mention Downingtown East, Nazareth, Roman Catholic, St. Joes Prep, Pennridge, and Parkland as contenders.  Whoever wins the ‘Western’ side of the bracket will be the favorite to win it all in 2026.

In Class 5A, the two favorites will probably meet in the championship, as they are on opposite sides of the bracket.  They are Pine-Richland and Imhotep.  Now, having said that, Protime realizes there are serious contenders on both sides.  In the ‘West’ Pine-Richland will not even have an easy time getting out of their own district as Upper St. Clair or Penn-Trafford looms ahead.  In the ‘East’ Imhotep, after a win this week, will have a double bye until the quarterfinals, then Hollidaysburg or Southern Lehigh may give them a game.  In the semis, Chester or Springfield-Delco will give Imhotep a real test in Protime’s estimation.  Protime is leaning to Pine-Richland to beat Imhotep if that is the matchup in what may be the best title game of 2026 at the Chap.

Now it gets really interesting in Class 4A.  Protime closely observed at least 14 teams have a legitimate shot at winning it all.  There is no clear frontrunner in spite of Dallas and West York being undefeated.  Protime will not mention all 14, but his favorites in the “West’ are South Fayette and Montour on the top level of the bracket, and Dallas and North Pocono on the bottom side.  In the “Eastern’ half of the bracket, there are a plethora of teams that can make the title tilt.  Protime likes Pope John Paul II and either Bonner-Prendie or Cardinal O’Hara on the top level.  Protime likes West York or Susquehanna Township on the bottom.  But do not be surprised someone not mentioned gets hot and wins the whole thing.  In the finals, Protime is leaning ever so slightly for the champ to come out of the ‘Western’ side.  Protime is tilting toward South Fayette who has outscored opponents the last five games 260-27, and their only loss was to 5A Upper St. Clair.

Another wide open classification is 3A.  Although Protime has to give a slight edge to the District 7 champion to win everything.  There are a handful of teams that could come out of D-7 and go all the way.  Last year’s champs Avonworth for one.  Hopewell or Propel Braddock Hills are a couple others.  In the east, there are teams like Northwestern Lehigh and Mount Carmel, Wyomissing and Scranton Prep.  Could it be an Avonworth-NW Lehigh contest for the 3rd straight year?  We shall see.

Now we come to Class 2A and there are some real good teams sitting in the bracket here.  Bishop Canevin and Farrell have to be the ‘Western’ favorites.  But watch out for Seton LaSalle, Apollo-Ridge, and Greenville.  On the ‘Eastern’ side we have perennial power Southern Columbia.  But they are not even the top seed in their district.  That would be Bloomsburg.  Westinghouse is on the east side and may hook up with So. Columbia in the quarterfinals.  Remember, these two met and had memorial state title games in 2022 and 2023.  Southern won on each occasion.  Do not count out West Catholic, Schuylkill Haven, and Dunmore in the top half of the ‘East’ bracket.  Protime thinks whoever survives the ‘East’ will be an ever so slight favorite to win the state championship.

Single A has two fairly clearcut favorites in Protime’s mind, and they are Bishop Guilfoyle and Clairton.  If all goes according to plan they will play for the championship trophy.  But there are roadblocks.  In the ‘West’ Clairton has to beat possibly an undefeated Shenango and Wash High, then beat Wilmington, Brockway or Keystone just to get there.  In the ‘East’ Guilfoyle has to possibly beat Steelton-Highspire and then either Williams Valley or Belmont, who has a terrible record, but they played mostly teams way above them in classification like Imhotep and Abraham Lincoln, and Maryland’s perennial powerhouse, Fort Hill.  Protime thinks Guilfoyle will prevail in 2026.  But we shall see.  As you all know, anything can and sometimes does happen in the playoffs.