Crunch time for several high school football teams
There will still be three weeks left in the high school football regular season after this weekend. Tonight’s games, however, could go a long way in determining the WPIAL playoff fate of several area teams.
Undefeated Beth-Center is a good bet to make the postseason, but it can pave the way for a conference championship with a win against Serra Catholic.
Although they wouldn’t be mathematically eliminated, several teams such as Connellsville, Belle Vernon, Uniontown, Waynesburg Central, Southmoreland, Frazier and Carmichaels would find their paths to the playoffs very rocky following a loss tonight.
Other teams are caught in between, such as Albert Gallatin, Laurel Highlands, California, Jefferson-Morgan and Mapletown. Each can keep its conference title hopes alive with a win, or fall back into the battle for a playoff berth with a loss.
Brownsville and Geibel Catholic are the only two area WPIAL teams not harboring realistic playoff hopes as both started with little depth and then lost key players early in the season.
Here’s a look at each of tonight’s games:
Class AAAA
Connellsville at Latrobe – Four teams make the playoffs out of the six-team Foothills Conference, but if the Falcons (1-4, 0-12) want to be one of those, they’ll need a road win against the Wildcats (1-4, 0-1). Otherwise, Connellsville will not only need a must-win against Penn-Trafford, but likely will also have to knock off Norwin and hope Hempfield defeats the Knights as well.
Class AAA
Laurel Highlands at Mount Pleasant – The Mustangs (2-3, 2-1) can create a two- or possibly three-way tie for first place in the Keystone Conference with a win over the Vikings (2-3, 2-0). A loss could drop LH as low as fourth in the standing and teetering in the edge of a playoff berth.
Albert Gallatin at Belle Vernon – The Colonials (2-3, 2-1) and Leopards (2-3, 1-1) are in the same boat as Laurel Highlands for the most part. The winner here will stay in the Keystone Conference title hunt. The loser will drop into the middle of the pack and will need to do some work to secure a top-four finish.
Uniontown at Ringgold – The winner of this match-up will find itself lodged in the thick of the Keystone playoff hunt, while the loser will be on the outside looking in heading into next week. The Rams (1-4, 1-2) revived their chances of making the postseason with their first win of the season at Albert Gallatin last week, but would fall into sixth place with a loss to Uniontown. The Red Raiders (1-4, 1-1) would still have a shot of at least a share of the conference crown with a win over Ringgold.
Class AA
Greensburg Central Catholic at Southmoreland – Only three teams are assured of playoff spots out of the nine-team Interstate Conference, so the Scotties (2-3, 2-2) will likely have to pull off a huge upset of the highly ranked Centurions (5-0, 4-0) on their new field to stay alive.
Jeannette at Waynesburg Central – A loss to McGuffey put a huge crimp in the Raiders’ Interstate playoff chances. Waynesburg (3-2, 2-2) already has fallen to Yough (4-1, 4-1), meaning a win over the Jayhawks (4-1, 4-1) is imperative.
Brownsville at Yough – The Cougars could potentially clinch at least a tie for third place in the Interstate with a win over the Falcons (0-5, 0-4).
Class A
Serra Catholic at Beth-Center – The marquee match-up of the week pits two undefeated Black Hills Conference foes in the Eagles (5-0, 3-0) and Bulldogs (5-0, 2-0). The winner will take over sole possession of first place and have the inside track to at least a share of the conference crown. Barring a complete collapse, the Bulldogs are bound for the postseason no matter the outcome, but if they lose they may need to run the table (vs. Avella, Fort Cherry and Bentworth) to assure themselves a first-round home playoff game.
Frazier at Chartiers-Houston – The Commodores (1-4, 0-3) need a win over the Bucs (3-2, 1-1) to keep their slim playoff hopes alive in the Black Hills Conference.
Mapletown at Carmichaels – If the Mikes (1-4, 1-2) want to keep their postseason flame burning in the Tri-County South they’ll need to defeat their nearby Greene County rivals. A loss would dropped Carmichaels into sole possession of sixth place. Although they’re currently sitting atop the standings alongside Monessen, the Maples (4-1, 2-0) could end up in a dogfight for a playoff spot with a loss at Carmichaels, especially with California, Monessen and Jefferson-Morgan left on their schedule.
Jefferson-Morgan at Monessen – The Greyhounds (3-2, 2-0) and Rockets (2-3, 2-1) are in similar situations in that the winner likely will have only Mapletown left blocking their way to a Tri-County South championship, or at least a share of it, while the loser will still be in the thick of the playoff hunt.
Geibel Catholic at California – The Trojans (2-3, 1-1) can jump back into the Tri-County South title race with a win over the Gators (0-5, 0-3).
Turkeyfoot Valley at Rockwood – In District 5, the Rams are on the road at Rockwood in a WestPAC clash at 1 p.m. on Saturday.