Oct 8, 2015 5 min read

The midway point of the WPIAL football season has come and gone with conference championship hopes of four local teams still intact.

That could change tonight.

Beth-Center head coach Ed Woods learned not to get overly excited for weeks such as this, but he is pleased how the Bulldogs (4-0, 4-1) rebounded from a non-conference loss to Greensburg Central Catholic by allowing just 16 points in three consecutive wins to put themselves in line for another Tri-County South Conference title.

Woods knows those numbers won’t mean a thing when Beth-Center hosts unbeaten Frazier (4-0, 5-0) tonight with first place on the line. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs have won 21 consecutive conference games. Their last loss was Oct. 12, 2012, against the Commodores.

“To be honest with you, I never really thought of it as a rivalry,” Woods said. “It’s just two football teams that just play hard, smash-mouth football. It’s a good game to watch, it’s a good game to coach and the kids love to play it. We have to play a perfect game to beat them.”

Beth-Center has won four of the last five meetings against Frazier, but for the first time in a while, it could be perceived as the underdog. The Commodores allowed only 10 points in five games, including just one touchdown, and it has two quarterbacks (Christopher Pierce and Hunter Patterson) who Woods believes are “the best in the conference.”

In the biggest game being played in Washington County tonight, it’s fitting Beth-Center has a dominant tailback to test Frazier’s defense.

Bulldogs senior Tony Welsh, who eclipsed 4,000 career rushing yards last week, already carried the football 98 times this season. One of the first workhorse backs for Woods since he became Beth-Center’s head coach, Welsh is second in the WPIAL in rushing yards (1,033) and first in scoring with 108 points, including 18 touchdowns.

“It’s been tough on me as an offensive coordinator because I never did that before,” Woods said. “I don’t know when it will happen again. He’s proven himself to be one of the best backs in the WPIAL, so we’re going to take advantage of what he brings to the table.”

Across the border in Westmoreland County, another championship could be on the line when undefeated Ringgold (5-0, 5-0) plays at Belle Vernon (5-0, 5-0) in a Big 10 Conference game on the gold turf at James Weir Stadium.

The Rams’ rivalry with the Leopards is one of the most heated in the area and the stakes have never been higher. Ringgold is trying for its first conference title since 2010 and Belle Vernon is vastly improved under head coach Matt Humbert, who guided Ringgold’s program only two years ago.

“It’s a pretty important game,” Ringgold head coach Nick Milcovich said. “It’s about two schools across the river from one another that have a history. It’s good for high school football. It’s a good rivalry. I wouldn’t say the kids individually hate each other, but when you grow up, you know that’s who you need to beat. It’s organic.”

Both programs have marquee wins over perennial conference powers Thomas Jefferson and West Mifflin. The winner of tonight’s (7:30 p.m.) game will be in the driver’s seat with only three weeks remaining in the regular season.

Ringgold will likely lean on running backs Chacar Berry and Brendan Small. They have combined for 1,021 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Rams also have junior quarterback George Martin, who was instrumental in the victory over West Mifflin two weeks ago.

Belle Vernon, meanwhile, looks much like Humbert’s old teams at Ringgold – big, physical and never shy about running the ball. Quarterback Mike Fine is the Leopards’ leading rusher with 324 yards and eight touchdowns. He has attempted only 23 passes.

Both teams average more than 35 points per game and Belle Vernon’s defense has been the stingiest in the conference, allowing only nine points per game.

Twenty-one miles away, two-time defending WPIAL and PIAA champion South Fayette (5-0, 5-0), which holds the nation’s sixth-longest winning streak at 37 games, will face undefeated Steel Valley (4-0, 5-0) at Campbell Field in Munhall.

Prior to the season, South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi pointed to the Ironmen as a contender in the Century Conference. They returned the bulk of their starters, including junior running back DeWayne Murray.

Well, Rossi was right.

Murray has rushed for 535 yards and 12 touchdowns, including two in Steel Valley’s statement win over Seton-La Salle two weeks ago.

South Fayette first-year starting quarterback Drew Saxton has completed 46 of 59 passes for 740 yards and 16 touchdowns with only two interceptions. That allowed the Lions to rest senior running back Hunter Hayes, a potential Division I recruit.

Hayes carried the ball only 39 times but has 500 yards with nine touchdowns.

“They haven’t changed much,” Steel Valley coach Rodney Steele said of South Fayette. “They’re still a very good football team and they have a lot back. They’re as good as advertised, but I think the pressure is more on them than us.”

It’s a week filled with excitement and high-pressure games, and Milcovich is one of many coaches who are excited to see how his team performs with first place on the line.

“This is great for the (Mon) Valley,” he said. “It’s a big game and it will be a big atmosphere. I was rooting for them to win (last week against West Mifflin). I wanted it to be 5-0 versus 5-0. This is what high school football is all about.”