Playoff jockeying begins for many tonight
With nearly half the football teams advancing to the WPIAL playoffs, even those teams that haven’t put one in the win column yet are still in the hunt as the season rolls into the fourth week of conference play and sixth game overall this weekend. For those at the top of the standings, a victory solidifies one of the 16 berths available in each of the four classifications.
Laurel Highlands (3-0, 4-1) visits rival Albert Gallatin (2-1, 2-3) in a marquee Keystone Conference game while Uniontown (2-1, 3-2) looks to bolster its playoff hopes against visiting Mount Pleasant (1-2, 1-4).
It seems every game in the Tri-County South Conference is important, no matter what time of the season, but California (3-0, 3-2) travels to Mapletown (3-0, 4-1) in a battle for the top spot in the conference.
The Mustangs are coming off a 35-14 victory at Mount Pleasant last week while the Colonials slipped past Greensburg Salem, 10-7.
Laurel Highlands faced a versatile athlete in the Vikings’ Jeff Marker last week, and the Mustangs defense will have to be up to the task once again against Albert Gallatin.
“(Mount Pleasant and Albert Gallatin) are different, but not that much,” said Laurel Highlands head coach Jack Buehner. “Mount Pleasant threw a little bit of everything at us, even the option.
“Mount Pleasant and Albert Gallatin do a lot of things alike, but Albert Gallatin has the aspect of a passing game.”
Buehner also cautioned although the Colonials might not be much on quantity, Albert Gallatin has a lot of a lot of quality in those numbers.
“The players they do have are good athletes. We need to limit the big plays on defense and special teams. On offense, we can’t turn the ball over.”
Albert Gallatin head coach Chuck Colborn kept it simple, saying it comes down to execution.
“Execution is the key. We haven’t executed yet as we want to be. Our defense has played well the last two weeks,” said Colborn.
Another given is the heightened intensity and excitement in a game between rival schools.
“It’s a great game for us. Jack Buehner has done a good job with them. Laurel Highlands, Uniontown, you don’t have to get them excited,” said Colborn.
“It’s a hometown rivalry,” explained Buehner. “This game is for first place and bragging rights. There’s a fantastic spirit of competition.”
Uniontown might not be playing a cross-town rival, but head coach John Fortugna acknowledged the importance of the contest with Mount Pleasant.
“Every conference game is big. They know how important the game is. We finally get one at home,” said Fortugna. “Laurel Highlands used a lot of skill kids (against Mount Pleasant). We have to use ours.
“Jeff Marker is such a weapon for Mount Pleasant. He runs the option, returns kicks. He’s dangerous. He’s going to make plays. They’re well coached. They’re the best 1-4 team we’ve seen.”
Belle Vernon remained winless in the Keystone Conference after losing to visiting Yough, 21-6, Thursday night.
It’s been a couple years since the Maples have had a game for first place at this point of the season. Mapletown head coach George Messich sees the key game as a battle of skill players, the Maples’ Ryan Geisel and California’s Donte Valentino. Geisel leads the area in scoring with 74 points while Valentino checks in with 38.
The Maples rallied to beat archrival Carmichaels last week, 22-12, although Geisel wasn’t the workhorse he usually is with 17 carries for 96 yards.
“Seventeen carries isn’t enough for Ryan,” admitted Messich. “He needs at least 25. Ryan gets stronger as the game goes on. He has a lot more determination.
“Ryan has the ability to break it at any time.”
Just as he completed his thoughts on his star running back, Messich eased into platitudes for the Trojans’ top rusher.
“Valentino is an exceptional player. He scares me more than any other player in the conference,” said Messich. “He’s a threat. We need to tackle him, wrap him up better than we have been doing. We can’t give up a quick, easy touchdown.”
Though not on the level of a Carmichaels game, Messich said the game is a developing rivalry.
“It’s been a rivalry the last two, three years,” said Messich. “Last week helped us going into this game. We were pretty high coming into the game, but they took it away from us. We struggled and came out flat.
“This team is different than any other I’ve had. They talk about the team we’re playing. They’re focused and a mature football team.”
Carmichaels (1-2, 3-2) looks to even its conference record after last week’s disheartening loss when the Mikes host Jefferson-Morgan, an easy 41-0 winner over Frazier. The Rockets are 2-1 in the conference and 2-3 overall.
Something has to give on Saturday afternoon when Frazier (0-3, 1-4) travels Geibel Catholic (0-3, 0-5).
Beth-Center (2-1, 4-1) looks to continue its momentum in the Black Hills Conference against winless Avella.
Connellsville (1-2, 2-3) stays home tonight, but the Falcons have a difficult task at hand against Woodland Hills (3-0, 5-0) in the Quad-East Conference.
Three teams are undefeated in the Interstate Conference, and two of them play area teams. Jeannette (3-0, 5-0) travels to Brownsville (1-2, 3-2) while winless Southmoreland heads to Greensburg Central Catholic (3-0, 4-0).
Both Waynesburg Central and Washington stand at 1-2 in the Interstate Conference, so a victory as the season winds down is crucial to the any thoughts of a playoff berth.
Turkeyfoot Valley continues its Mason-Dixon swing with a game at Westmar, Md.