Oct 23, 2002 By Jim Kriek For The 3 min read

Carmichaels’ offense far outdistances nearest challenger Going into the final week of regular season play, and unless the bottom drops out of their offense completely, it’s pretty safe to say that Carmichaels is going to be the district’s offensive leader for this season.

But even if the bottom and everything else were to drop out, nobody this side of the NFL could overtake the Mikes on offense.

Figures compiled for teams in the Herald-Standard’s coverage area show Carmichaels with an offensive average of 41.3 points per game, a lead of 12-plus over their nearest contender, Waynesburg.

The Mikes have scored 330 points in eight games, a lead of 98 points over Waynesburg (29.0 per game), and have already gained a berth in the WPIAL playoffs. And they need only to defeat Frazier this week to clinch the Tri-County South Conference title outright.

Waynesburg has a backyard battle with Washington (22.5 offense, 13.6 defense), in an Interstate Conference final week of too many “ifs” involved. Jeannette (8-0) is the 5-0 conference leader, followed by Waynesburg and Greensburg Central Catholic at 4-1, and Washington 3-2. While Waynesburg is at home to Washington, GCC is at Jeannette, and as the saying goes, anything can happen.

Rounding out the top five locally on offense are Beth-Center (23.6), Brownsville (20.4), and Belle Vernon (19.1). The only change from a week ago was Belle Vernon moving into fifth in place of Uniontown, after they defeated UHS, 30-14.

Defensively, there was only one change in the top five from a week ago, Beth-Center moving into fifth after beating Chartiers-Houston 21-7, and replacing Uniontown, which dropped to sixth.

Belle Vernon (10.1 allowance) kept the number one spot, followed again by Waynesburg (10.9), Carmichaels (11.5), California (15.4), and Beth-Center.

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One team was knocked out of the WPIAL unbeaten ranks the past weekend, New Castle losing to Blackhawk, 41-24, in 3-A. Otherwise the ranks stayed the same, with Penn Hills, Woodland Hills and Upper St. Clair unbeaten in Quad-A, Thomas Jefferson, Knoch and Pine-Richland in 3-A, Jeannette, Seton-LaSalle and Aliquippa in 2-A and Carmichaels the lone perfecto in 1-A.

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Jon Fowler of Belle Vernon has literally put the “foot” into football this year. Fowler kicked three field goals in the Leps’ win over Uniontown, 32, 31, and 27 yards, to give him nine for the season.

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When Connellsville lost to Baldwin, 33-0, last Friday, it marked the fourth time the Falcons have been zeroed this season, and the third time in their last four games. In that span, CAHS has been outscored 181-3 by four opponents. You have to go all the way back to 1960 to find the last time any Connellsville football team was shutout four times in one season. That year, another one in the series of flops during Dan Hamill’s coaching tenure, Connellsville was collared by Washington 18-0, Greensburg Salem 14-0, Hempfield 27-0 and Clairton 24-0.

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Some top efforts by local players the past weekend included:

TD run – 86 yards, Colby Giles, Carmichaels vs. Geibel; 71, Ryan Robinson, California, vs. West Greene.

TD run with fumble – 55 yards, Carson Thomas, Brownsville, vs. Elizabeth-Forward.

Pass interception return for TD – 56 yards, Jeff Lapkowicz, Carmichaels, vs. Geibel; 34, Mike Davis, Belle Vernon, vs. Uniontown.

Field goals – 32, 31, 27 yards, Jon Fowler, Belle Vernon, vs. Uniontown; 26, Ian Glumac, Brownsville, vs. Elizabeth-Forward.

Kick scoring – Fowler, 12 points (3 field goals, 3 PATs).

Scoring – 19, Craig Neely, Frazier, vs. Mapletown (3 TD, 1 PAT kick).