It’s not too early to talk Greene County football is it?

Is it too early to talk about high school football in Greene County?
The answer is always, it’s never too early to talk a little pigskin!!
With conditioning starting last week for all five county schools, football (plus the humidity) is definitely in the air.
The first official day of training camp (you know the fun part with the helmets and the shoulder pads) starts on August 11. August 16 is when teams can have their first scrimmage, while August 29 is the date you can circle on your calendars because that is Week One of the football season.
After the nine-week season is in the books, the first day of the playoffs is October 31 (yes, I know, I’m getting way ahead of myself).
So before all of the predictions and speculation begin to start in the county, let’s look at the key games this fall.
Week One – Waynesburg Centra welcomes Interstate Conference newcomer Burgettstown in this opening week contest. There are a lot of high expectations for the Raiders, and getting off to a good start is paramount. Burgettstown went winless a year ago in the Century Conference. Another key Week One match-up in the county is Jefferson-Morgan at West Greene.
Week Two – There are a lot of rivalries in the Greene County gridiron arena, and Carmichaels/Mapletown is close to the top of that list. Both the Mikes and Maples are coming off productive 2013 campaigns and both want the bragging rights in this rivalry. Mapletown will be the away team in this clash, and will look to top Carmichaels for the first time since 2005.
Week Three – It’s going to be a busy week in the county as there are three key games that highlight this Friday. Waynesburg travels to bitter rival Washington, while West Greene grapples with Mapletown. The match-up I’m looking forward to is Jefferson-Morgan at Avella, as the Rockets will try to get some revenge for two close losses the last two seasons.
Week Four – Carmichaels will look to end the streak against Beth-Center for all Greene County teams in this conference clash. B-C is currently on a 24-game winning streak against county teams (excluding Waynesburg). Another competitive Tri-County South battle this week will be California at Jefferson-Morgan, as the Trojans are back in the TCS after a two-year absence.
Week Five – California will once again battle a Greene County team this week, as they will travel to Carmichaels for what might be a key contest. Another interesting match-up this week will be Mapletown at Avella, as the Maples look to keep building on what they did last season.
Week Six – One night, two county rivalries will take place as Mapletown travels to Jefferson-Morgan and Carmichaels hosts West Greene. You can throw the records and the previous year’s statistics out the window in these county contests, as the fight for county supremacy is always something to compete for!
Week Seven – Every time Carmichaels and Frazier hook up, it’s always an interesting game and it usually comes down to the very end. The Mikes will travel all the way to Perryopolis this night, for what might be a critical contest as it relates to the conference and the playoffs. Another high-profile match-up this week will be the strong rivalry between Bentworth at Mapletown.
Week Eight – Waynesburg will face off versus another new conference foe in McGuffey, and will have to do it on the road. This could be a pivotal contest in the Interstate Conference to decide who makes the postseason. Last year the Highlanders went 5-5 in the Century Conference. Another contest worth noting is J-M traveling to B-C, as the Rockets were the last Greene County team to beat the Bulldogs a couple of seasons ago.
Week Nine – There is one rivalry that tops them all in Greene County and that’s the Black & Blue Bowl with Carmichaels and Jefferson-Morgan. So many close, emotional contests over the years and this is the perennial, pigskin match-up in the county. The last two years this match-up has kicked off the season, but now it’s in the final week and who knows what will be on the line?
All five county teams will have one non-conference game in 2014:
Carmichaels at Riverview in Week Three (September 12)
Jefferson-Morgan vs. Springdale in Week Seven (October 10)
Mapletown at Monessen in Week Nine (October 24)
Waynesburg Central vs. Summit Academy in Week Six (October 3)
West Greene vs. Serra Catholic in Week Four (September 19)