Short Picks – Week 3

Tagged under: pfn

Bill Engelhardt | September 10, 2014

I shook off the rust in week 2 by picking 14 games correctly with just 4 misses. I noticed a significant amount or scoring in most of the games around the state. All this scoring shows a huge amount of emphasis by coaches on the offensive side of the ball. Just remember at crunch time, defense wins championships.

Pennsbury’s Falcons travel to Council Rock North home of the Indians. The Falcons will find Council Rock North to be a tough opponent as the Indians are led by Division 1 quarterback prospect Brandon McIlwain. This game might turn into a shootout, but in the end the Falcons defense comes up with some major stops…Pennsbury.

Central Bucks South will try to shake off a loss to top ranked Coatesville last week when the Titans host Central Bucks East. CB South is a contender in the Continental Division in District 1. The Titans won’t let this game get away…Central Bucks South.

North Penn hung on to PFN’s #7 spot in the AAAA ranking with a win over West Catholic. The Knights host their third consecutive game with a District 12 foe, Archbishop Wood. This might just be the toughest opening schedule for any team in the state. Wood is ranked #1 by PFN in AAA. Vikings’ defense is too much for the Knights…Archbishop Wood.

Coatesville welcomes District 12 Roman Catholic. Roman Catholic lost in a shoot out last week to Downingtown East. Coatesville’s Red Raiders have enough offense and too much defense for Roman Catholic…Coatesville.

Pine Richland’s Rams seem to have a team to compete in the AAAA WPIAL. The Rams moved into the AAAA a couple of years ago and struggled. But this year’s team looks to be much improved and ready for the WPIAL. The Rams welcome the Foxes of Fox Chapel. Rams prevail…Pine Richland.

North Allegheny’s Tigers face their second top ranked team this week when they travel to Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s Vikings. The Tigers face a Viking team considered to be one of the best defensive teams in the West. The Viking offense “ain’t” bad either…Pittsburgh Central Catholic.

The Bishop McDevitt Crusaders picked up from right where they left off in 2013. The Crusaders opened the season with two dominating wins. The Crusaders host the 2-0 Eagles of Cumberland Valley. The Crusaders have a huge offensive weapon in quarterback Nick Marsilio. Which one of these two teams goes to 3-0? …Bishop McDevitt.

Hopewell’s Vikings will test the Indians of West Allegheny. The Indians are year in and year out one of the top teams in the AAA WPIAL. Hopewell is coming off a re-building year and hopes to show improvement over last season. Unfortunately this is not the week to look for any significant improvement…West Allegheny.

In District 10, two perennial winners are the Ramblers of Erie Cathedral Prep and the McDowell Trojans. The Trojans opened the season with two Ohio schools so I don’t have a good handle on just how good the Trojans are at this point. Past history in this rivalry is all I have to go on…Cathedral Prep.

Penn Hills Indians (AAAA) travel to Central Valley (AAA). Central Valley’s Warriors barring injuries will be in the hunt for a WPIAL title. Likewise Penn Hills should also make it to the playoffs. Playing up in class by the Warriors makes this a difficult choice, but I like the Warriors chances…Central Valley.

Bethlehem Catholic visits Pocono Mt. West. West’s Panthers face their second top ranked team in three weeks. The Golden Hawks roll…Bethlehem Catholic.

Undefeated Dallas Area’s Mountaineers visit the Bulldogs of Berwick. The Bulldogs opened the season with a loss to PFN’s #9 ranked Crestwood. Berwick needs a win this week as the schedule gets even tougher the next two weeks…Berwick.

The Selinsgrove Seals are coming off a 6-6 season with high hopes for an outstanding season in 2014. The Seals travel to Shikellamy looking for win number 3. Shikellamy’s Braves will get a snoot full of Seals running back Javon Batts…Selinsgrove.

Undefeated Shamokin tangles with PFN’s number 3 ranked team, Southern Columbia. Shamokin’s Indians were shut out by the Tigers last year by a 56-0 score. Shamokin should keep the game much closer this time around, but the result is the same…Southern Columbia.

The Karns City Gremlins looked very impressive last week against Brashear. The Gremlins travel to St. Marys where the Flying Dutchman are coming off their second win of the season. The Flying Dutchman will have trouble stopping the explosive Gremlin offense…Karns City.

Delaware Valley Charter looks like a team that is going to completely turn around last season’s 2-10 record. The Warriors are already ranked by PFN in the top ten. Delaware Valley Charter plays host to Thomas Edison. The Warriors turn out the lights…Delaware Valley Charter.

Clairton visits Greensburg Central Catholic. The Centurians are not quite as good as some of their past teams and Clairton’s Bears are just as good if not better than some of their past champions…Da’ Bears.

Wellsboro’s Rockets have re-loaded for the 2014 season after a very fine 10-1 record in ’13. The Rockets take a 2-0 record on the road to Bucktail. This one could get ugly…Wellsboro.

Central Cambria’s Red Devils have put up a pretty good fight in losing its first two games to a couple of top ranked opponents. Unfortunately the Red Devils face what looks like THE best team in District 6, the Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders. The Red Devils struggle to keep it close, but to no avail…Bishop Guilfoyle.

In District 6, the Windber Ramblers and the Portage Mustangs always provide some great entertainment for their respective fans. By the way, Windber is celebrating the 100th year of football. The key to winning this game will the Ramblers’ defense versus the Mustang offense led by running backs Luke Dividock and Caleb Kephart. If the Mustangs get out of the corral…Portage.

Central’s Scarlet Dragons and the Bison of Clearfield has become a pretty good rivalry. The Bison won last year by a 35-20 score. Bison head coach Tim Janocko has produced some really good squads over the past decade. Central’s Dragons are always in the hunt for a District title. This year’s fray should be a good one. By a gnat’s eyelash…Clearfield.

Purchase Line looked like a contender in the Heritage Conference until last week when the Dragons surprisingly lost to Ligonier. The Dragons look to bounce back this week as they visit the Blairsville Bobcats. This is must win for the Dragons…Purchase Line.

The Conneaut Eagles travel to Dubois. The Eagles secondary will be severely tested by Beavers quarterback Gabe French. Too much air power for the Eagles to keep up with…Dubois.

Curwensville’s Golden Tide rolls into Coudersport. Coudy’s Falcons are a bit down this year while Curwensville looks like a contender for a District 9 title. Roll Tide Roll…Curwensville.

Reynolds’ Raiders played the always tough Farrell Steelers pretty close last week. The Raiders face a stiffer challenge this week in the Sharpsville Blue Devils. The Blue Devils are coming off two impressive wins. This week should be another…Sharpsville.

In the preseason, one of the better games on the schedule in District 11 was thought to be the game between the Catasauqua Rough Riders hosting the Palisades Pirates. Both the Rough Riders and the Pirates have identical 1-1 records, so this game is huge for both teams. In a game too close to call, I will toss the coin. And it’s heads…Catasauqua.

Whitehall’s Zephyrs are an Honorable Mention in PFN’s AAAA ranking. The Zephyrs travel to Pleasant Valley this week. Don’t let the Pleasant Valley record of 0-2 fool you into thinking this will be a cakewalk for Whitehall. I think it will be a battle to the finish. By a whisker…Whitehall.

In other games:
Baynard Rustin over W. Chester East
Central Bucks West over Pennridge
Downingtown West over Mifflin County
Bristol over New Hope
Abington over Upper Dublin
William Tennent over Oxford
Dunmore over West Scranton
Crestwood over Coughlin
Wyoming Valley West over Pittston
Berks Catholic over York Catholic
Harrisburg over William Penn (York)
Governor Mifflin over Manheim Twp.
Gettysburg over Waynesboro
Penn Manor over Dallastown
Lewisburg over Mt. Carmel
Montoursville over Mifflinburg
Towanda over Bloomsburg
Northern Bedford over Everett
Forest Hills over Penn Cambria
Cambria Heights over Bishop Carroll
Homer City over Northern Cambria
Tyrone over Huntingdon
Canon-Mac over Peters Twp.
Kittanning over Apollo-Ridge
University Prep over Brashear
Brockway over Cameron County
Iroquois over Eisenhower
Sharon over Titusville