Short Picks – Week 12
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Pa Football News | November 12, 2014
A huge slate of games presents this week as the PIAA football championships are full speed ahead. I will be able to touch briefly on each of the 64 games on the schedule for this weekend. Hopefully I get all the matchups correct. I guess the AAAA class is as good as any place to start.
The Dubois Beavers with prolific quarterback Gabe French at the controls take on the Little Lions of State College. Beavers will score often, but the Little Lions will score more…State College.
District 8 Brashear hooks up with District 10 Erie McDowell. The Trojans have too much offense and a stout defense for the Brashear Bulls…McDowell.
In the WPIAL, top seed Pine-Richland tangles with the Tigers from McKeesport. Tigers’ defense gets a real test as the Rams offense is very explosive…Pine-Richland.
The Penn-Trafford Warriors could be the dark horse in the title chase of the WPIAL as they take on the Number 2 seed Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings. This one might be closer than most would expect…Central Catholic.
In District 3, Manheim Twp. gets another crack at top seed Wilson West Lawn’s Bulldogs. Wilson looks like the team to beat in the AAAA…Wilson.
Two evenly matched squads meet when the Central Dauphin East Panthers take on the Hempfield Black Knights. I kind of like the Black Knights play against a very tough schedule. By a whisker…Hempfield.
Cumberland Valley’s Eagles play a schedule that well prepares the Eagles for a strong showing in the playoffs. Eagles’ opponent for this week is the Governor Mifflin Mustangs. Not sure if this would be considered an upset or not, but I like…Governor Mifflin.
Finally in District 3, this game should go right down to the wire. The Central Dauphin Rams meet the Lower Dauphin Falcons. This one will keep the fans on the edge of their seats…Central Dauphin.
District 11’s Bethlehem Freedom’s Patriots get another try to take down district kingpin the Easton Red Rovers. The Red Rovers had little trouble racking up an undefeated season…Easton.
District 2’s Delaware Valley Warriors battle the Parkland Trojans from District 11. The Warriors enter this game with a fine 10-1 record. Parkland had some big wins to go along with some losses that were very close. A win here for the Trojans would put them in a rematch with Easton…Parkland.
In District 12, the Electrons of Benjamin Franklin host the Simon Gratz Bulldogs. The Electrons will be charged for this one…Ben Franklin.
The two most dominate schools in AAAA of District 12 are the LaSalle Explorers and St. Joe’s Prep Hawks. The Hawks won the regular season tussle by 35-31. Trying to pick a winner between these two rivalries is foolish so I flip a coin. It is heads…St. Joe’s Prep.
Number one seed in District 1 is the Coatesville Red Raiders. The Red Raiders have their hands full as they entertain Henderson. The Warriors give Red Raider fans a scare…Coatesville.
I really like the run this season by the Panthers of Quakertown Community. Not many of the District 1 newspaper forecasters picked the Panthers to get this far into the playoffs. As much as I have liked the Panthers in the past, I think this is the end of the line as they face the Cougars of…Downingtown East.|
Pennsbury Falcons meet the Garnet Valley Jaguars. If the Falcons don’t stumble this week, they should make it to the District 1 championship game…Pennsbury.
West Chester Rustin gets together with Upper Dublin. No upset here for the Cardinals…Upper Dublin.
Let’s look at the AA class. In District 6, Mt. Union’s Trojans are well respected for their speed and high scoring offense. The Trojan offense will not find this week’s defense of the Central Red Dragons to be very generous. Red Dragon defense rises to the occasion…Central
The Huntingdon Bearcats have a re-match with the Tyrone Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles claw the Bearcats…Tyrone.
In District 10, Greenville’s Trojans beat the Sharon Tigers by a 22-20 score in the regular season. Same results this time…Greenville.
Also in District 10, the Slippery Rock Rockets beat the Hickory Hornets by a 14-7 score in the regular season. Same results this time…Slippery Rock.
District 5’s Chestnut Ridge plays an independent schedule including schools from out of the state. The Lions play neighboring,longtime rival Bedford. Ridge beat Westinghouse last week the Bisons had last week off. This should be an excellent game for the fans of these two rivals…Bedford.
In District 9, the Karns City Gremlins lost for the first time in the season in week 10. The Gremlins were granted a bye last week and should be well prepared for this week’ opponent the Flying Dutchman of St. Marys. Gremlins roll…Karns City.
In District 7, the South Fayette Lions have prolific quarterback Scott Brumbaugh. The Seton-LaSalle Rebels have highly regarded Tyler Perone at the controls. This game comes down to the quarterback who solves the other team’s defense the best…South Fayette.
Aliquippa has a habit of getting upset in the WPIAL playoffs. The Quips play a really tough Washington Little Prexies in round three. Either team could make it to Heinz Field and capture the title. Quips avoid a letdown and get their chance for a WPIAL title this year…Aliquippa.
In District 4, the Montoursville Warriors looked impressive with last week’s win over Lewisburg. I had ideas of another Warrior win this week until I saw the brackets. The Warriors face the Tigers of… So. Columbia.
Towanda improved the season record to 7-4 with last week’s win. The Black Knights face the Loyalsock Twp. Lancers. Black Knights and Lancers sounds like something out of the Medieval Ages…Loyalsock Twp.
The Newport Buffaloes face the number 1 seed in District 3, the Berks Catholic Saints. The Saints are moving on to the next round…Berks Catholic.
A pretty evenly matched game has the Bermudian Springs Eagles going against the Wyomissing Spartans. The Eagles are 11-0 while the Spartans are 10-1. By a nats’ eyelash…Wyomissing.
The Bristol Warriors are in the playoff again. The Warriors need two more wins to get to an inter-district game. Standing in the way of Bristol is the Spartans of Springfield Twp. (Montco). I like the Warriors…Bristol.
Dunmore’s Bucks beat Northwest in week two and I don’t think the Rangers have improved enough since then to beat the Bucks…Dunmore.
Northwestern Lehigh (10-1) will attempt to put the first loss of the season on the Spartans of North Schuylkill. This is another one of those nailbiters…North Schuylkill.
In the single A class, the WPIAL has a couple of teams capable of making the trek to Hershey. One of those teams is the C.W. North Catholic Trojans. The Trojans should have no trouble disposing of Avonworth…North Catholic.
The other team from the WPIAL looking to make a run to Hershey is the Clairton Bears. Neshannock had a great season, but it comes to an end by…‘Da Bears.
In District 5, Shade’s Panthers defense pitched a shutout last week. Their defense will be tested again this week by the high scoring Berlin Brothersvalley Mountaineers. ‘Eers score early and often…Berlin.
Tussey Mt. and Meyersdale will produce offensive fireworks provided the weather stays favorable in the mountains of Somerset Co. Meyersdale scores a few less times than…Tussey Mt.
Sharpsville stumbled a couple times this season, but rebounded to win the first round of the playoffs. The Blue Devils face the Greyhounds of Wilmington. The Blue Devils keep the Greyhounds penned up...Sharpsville.
The Farrell Steelers face the West Middlesex Big Reds for a second time this season. Big Reds roll again…West Middlesex.
A late season surge by the Union Golden Knights has the Knights playing in round two against the Brockway Rover Dogs. Golden Knights season ending run is hard to go against, but I give the Rover Dogs a slight edge…Brockway.
The Kane Wolves came back from three devastating losses all by a total of three points. The Wolves worked their way into the playoffs and now face the 10-1 Clarion Bobcats. Bobcats have more offense than what the Wolves defense can contain…Clarion.
In District 3, look for a close game between the Delone Caholic Squires and the Camp Hill Lions. I like the Lions chances this week…Camp Hill.
The Fighting Irish of York Catholic tangle with the Steelton-Highspire Steamrollers. The Steamrollers got off to rough start in the first couple weeks of the season, but have rebounded…Steelton-Highspire.
In District 6, Bishop Guilfoyle looks unbeatable. The Maruaders face a pesky Bellwood-Antis Blue Devil team this week. The Marauders have too many weapons…Bishop Guilfoyle.
The Portage Mustangs offense has been nothing short of phenomenal. The Mustangs get corralled this week by the Bobcats of…Blairsville.
In District 11, the Pius X Royals meet the Colts of Marian Catholic. The Colts kick up their heels…Marian Catholic.
In District 4, the North Penn Panthers have a tough opponent this week, the South Williamsport Mountaineers. Panthers season comes to an end…South Williamsport.
Old Forge’s Blue Devils take a 11-0 record into week two of the playoffs against the Susquehanna Community Sabres. The Blue Devils should go deep into the playoffs…Old Forge.
In the AAA, Manheim Central’s Barons exploded for 72 points in last week’s win. The Barons need a bunch of points this week when they meet the Crusaders of Bishop McDevitt. Close game, but no upset…Bishop McDevitt.
Also in District 3, the Conrad Weiser Scouts take on the Red Land Patriots. The Scouts defense wins this game for…Conrad Weiser.
The Eagles of Cocalico pitched a shutout in round one of the playoffs. That Eagle defense will limit West York trips to the end zone…Cocalico.
Daniel Boone’s Blazers take a 7-4 record into this week’s game with the 9-2 Milton Hershey Spartans. I look for a six point win for…Milton Hershey.
Conneaut will face their toughest opponent of the year when they battle the Cathedral Prep Ramblers. The Ramblers could be the team representing the West in Hershey…Cathedral Prep.
West Philadelphia meets Imhotep Charter. West Philly pumps up the basketballs…Imhotep.
Archbishop Wood and Archbishop Ryan clash for the second time this year. Same results as the first meeting…Archbishop Wood.
Bishop Shanahan visits the Great Valley Patriots. The Patriots dominate the Eagles…Great Valley.
Clearfield’s Bison travel south to battle the Somerset Eagles. This should be a great game between the District 9 Bison and the District 5 representative Eagles. In a high scoring affair…Somerset.
In District 4, Jersey Shore dumped the Seals of Selinsgrove by a 16-10 score in week eight. In a surprise, look for the Seals to reverse the score…Selinsgrove.
Saucon Valley’s Panthers meet a juggernaut in District 11, the Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks. Hawks have too much offense for the Panthers…Bethlehem Catholic.
In District 2, Crestwood’s Comets beat the Berwick Bulldogs in the opener. I would not be surprised to see the Bulldogs reversing the previous outcome, but I still like…Crestwood.
In District 7 WPIAL playoffs, a couple of upsets are never out of the picture. Ringgold would like to be the team to pull off the feat this week when they meet the number one seed Central Valley. I would not be surprised, but I’m sticking with…Central Valley.
The West Allegheny Indians and the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars meet in the slobber knocker of the week in the AAA class. T.J. beat Moon in week one of the playoffs and beat Mars in week two. The Jaguars are playing out of this world, but I see the Indians by a field goal…West Allegheny.
Enjoy the games. Pennsylvania high school football doesn’t get any better than this.
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