Oct 15, 2010 By The 3 min read

As high school football teams enter the last third of the regular season, the stakes are greater. For some teams, it’s time to start playoff positioning, time to bolster a resume in hopes of snaring a higher playoff seed and a home playoff game the first weekend in November.

For others, it’s time to put up or shut up. No more would haves, could haves or should haves. Start a winning streak now and the playoffs become a legitimate possibility. Drop a game now, no matter how close, and it is the beginning of the end.

For four area teams, the end already has arrived. Connellsville (0-6, 0-4), Albert Gallatin (0-6, 0-4), Waynesburg Central (0-6, 0-5) and Mapletown (0-6, 0-6) have been eliminated from playoff contention. That means the district’s other 12 teams still have playoff aspirations.

Two of the winless teams face other winless teams tonight, when Connellsville visits Hempfield (0-6, 0-3) in a Class AAAA Foothills Conference game and Waynesburg Central hosts Yough (0-6, 0-5) in a Class AA Interstate Conference match-up.

Albert Gallatin and Mapletown can only hope to spoil the plans of other area teams. The Colonials visit Uniontown (2-4, 1-3) in a Class AAA Keystone Conference matchup that is critical to the Red Raiders, who have lost two in a row. Mapletown hosts a Geibel Catholic (2-4, 2-3) team that also must get back on the winning track in the Class A Tri-County South Conference.

All Keystone Conference games begin at 7 p.m.; all others begin at 7:30 p.m.

Belle Vernon (3-3, 3-1) is in a three-way tie for second place in the Class AAA Big Eight Conference and plays host to one of the teams with which it is tied, West Mifflin (3-3, 3-1). The other team in the tie, Trinity, visits powerful Thomas Jefferson tonight.

Speaking of powerful teams, Laurel Highlands takes a 1-5, 1-3 record on the road to Murrysville to meet powerful Franklin Regional (5-1, 4-0). The Mustangs have lost three in a row since opening conference play with a win.

Brownsville and Southmoreland both carry 2-4, 2-3 records into key games in the Class AA Interstate Conference tonight. The Falcons host an East Allegheny (4-2, 4-2) team that currently occupies the fourth and final playoff berth in the conference, while the Scotties hope to keep pace with a win at Charleroi (1-5, 1-5).

There are two key games in the Tri-County South Conference. Frazier (4-2, 4-1) hosts Carmichaels (3-3, 2-3) and Jefferson-Morgan (3-3, 2-3) visits California (3-3, 3-2) Frazier is in third place and can forge a tie with Beth-Center by beating the Mikes. The Bulldogs (5-1, 5-1) visit Avonworth in a non-conference game. California is fourth now, but a J-M win would create a tie that could involve four teams.

West Greene (1-5, 1-5) remains alive, but travels to Monessen (5-1, 5-0) in another 7 p.m. kickoff.