Stretch run
There are three area high school football teams with one or fewer losses heading into Week Nine and two of those will meet Friday night in an important Class 3A Interstate Conference battle.
Belle Vernon (4-0, 7-1), which has won seven in a row, travels to Waynesburg Central (4-1, 7-1), which is riding a four-game winning streak. Both teams have already wrapped up WPIAL playoff berths and still harbor hopes of winning the conference championship.
The path for coach Scott Bryer’s Leopards is simple. If they can knock off the Raiders they could claim the conference title with a win at first-place Elizabeth Forward (4-0, 7-1) next week.
The path for coach Joe Kuhns’ Raiders is trickier. They need a win over Belle Vernon and then a loss by the Warriors either Friday night at Mount Pleasant (2-2, 4-4) or next week to the Leopards to earn at least a share of first place.
If the Vikings fall to EF their postseason hopes would ride on receiving a wild-card bid from the WPIAL selection committee.
Also in the Interstate, Southmoreland (1-3, 2-6) is at Derry (0-4, 2-6). The Scotties would need victories over the Trojans and then Mount Pleasant next week to have an outside chance at receiving a wild-card invite.
Another Fayette County marquee matchup is also on the slate as Albert Gallatin (1-2, 3-5) hosts Laurel Highlands (0-3, 0-8).
The Colonials are still mathematically alive for the postseason but the Mustangs, along with Uniontown, have been eliminated.
The Red Raiders (0-3, 3-5) are on the road against first-place and top-ranked South Fayette (3-0, 7-1).
Albert Gallatin would need wins over the Mustangs and at Chartiers Valley in Week 10 to stay in the playoff hunt.
Colonials coach Drew Dindl is wary of Laurel Highlands and first-year coach Ian Edenfield.
“Their record doesn’t tell the whole story. They’ve gotten better very single week,” Dindl said of the Mustangs. “Coach Edenfield and (assistant) coach (Cedric) Lloyd have done a really good job with that group.
“We know they’re going to give us every they have.”
Beth-Center remains the area’s lone unbeaten team at 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Class A Tri-County South Conference.
Coach Tim Trump’s Bulldogs are at Mapletown (0-5, 0-8) while California (5-0, 6-2), which is tied with Beth-Center for first place, faces a trip to third-place Avella (4-1, 5-3).
California travels to Beth-Center next week to close out the regular season. Both teams have already wrapped up postseason spots.
Ed Woods can become the Trojans’ all-time winningest football coach with a victory over the formidable Eagles. Woods is currently tied with Pete Petroff with 61 wins.
Also in the Tri-County South, fourth-place Frazier (3-2, 4-4) at West Greene (1-4, 2-6) and Greene County rivals Carmichaels (1-4, 2-6) and Jefferson-Morgan (1-4, 1-7) meet at the Rockets’ Parker Field.
The Maples are the lone team in the TCS that have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
In other action involving Fayette County teams, Connellsville (0-4, 3-5) will be looking for its first Class 5A Big East Conference win when it hosts Franklin Regional (1-4, 1-7) at Falcon Stadium, while Brownsville (0-4, 0-8) will be seeking its first Class 2A Allegheny Conference victory when it entertains East Allegheny (1-4, 3-5) at Redstone Field.
All games are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m.