Oct 28, 2015 4 min read

One of the oldest football rivalries in Western Pennsylvania will be renewed Friday night, and this time a spot in the playoffs is on the line.

Jefferson-Morgan (4-3, 4-4) will host Carmichaels (4-3, 4-4) Friday night with the winner earning the Tri-County South Conference’s final spot in the WPIAL Class A playoffs. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Parker Field.

It will be the 90th meeting between the two schools that are less than seven miles apart and is the most-played active football series involving a team from Washington or Greene counties. The Mikes lead the series 52-32-5, but have lost three of the last four meetings.

Few of those games had a storyline such as this.

Jefferson-Morgan first-year head coach Aaron Giorgi teaches social studies at Carmichaels Middle School and has taught some of the Mikes’ players. He was an assistant coach at Carmichaels (2007-2011) and has been coaching at J-M since then. Meanwhile, Carmichaels assistant Jan Haiden was Jefferson-Morgan’s head coach for 20 years.

“Whenever you play a rival like Carmichaels, that’s so close to you, it’s a lot of fun,” Giorgi said. “That’s why you play high school sports – to play in games like this. A lot of bragging rights and a lot of pride is on the line.”

That’s not all. The winner enters the Class A playoffs and snaps a playoff drought. The Mikes missed the postseason last fall after an eight-win season in 2013. The Rockets, meanwhile, have not made the playoffs since 2012.

Carmichaels’ Ryan Krull, who is in his third season as the Mikes’ head coach, heard of the rivalry during his time playing at Waynesburg University.

The reality has lived up to the hype.

“We treat every opponent with respect and prepare for them the same way, but usually the stadium and the atmosphere are a little bit more electric when it’s Jefferson and Carmichaels,” Krull said. “There is something special about the rivalry between the two schools and the experiences I’ve had.”

Though the past two meetings were shutouts, the previous five were decided by an average of less than five points and it’s evenly matched this season.

Both teams have wins over Mapletown, California, West Greene and Avella with losses to Frazier, Bentworth and Beth-Center. The Mikes and Rockets even play similar on offense with an emphasis on a strong running game.

Jefferson-Morgan’s offense has revolved around running backs Joe Headlee, Trevor Kniha and David Blaker, while Carmichaels senior Shawn Dulaney, who missed the first three games because of a knee injury, has been pivotal to the Mikes winning three of their last four games.

It’s the similarities off the field that make the rivalry one of the most unique in the WPIAL. Many students from the schools are neighbors and the two schools co-op in wrestling.

“One one side of the road there are kids who attend Carmichaels, and on the other side of the road are kids from Jefferson,” Krull said. “Kids are friends with each other on both teams. The district is literally across the street from the other. That’s a story in itself.”

It’s not the only win-and-you’re-in game this week. One of those is between Chartiers-Houston (3-3, 4-4) and Fort Cherry (2-4, 2-6), which will kickoff Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

If the C-H defeats the Rangers at Jim Garry Stadium, then the Bucs get the final playoff spot in the Black Hills Conference. This is not an unfamiliar situation for the two rivals. Over the past 10 years, six of their games either decided a playoff spot, a conference championship or a home playoff game.

Eight of those 10 games were determined by 10 points or less.

The Rangers have won seven of those 10 meetings, but it is Chartiers-Houston that is having a breakthrough season and has won two of its last three.

“It’s every year that something is on the line in this rivalry,” C-H head coach Terry Fetsko said. “The kids know each other real well and it makes for an exciting game. It doesn’t matter who has a better record or who is higher in the standings, they’re close games. It’s a great rivalry game every time.”

Two of the most surprising teams in Class AA will determine the final playoff spot in the Interstate Conference. If Burgettstown (4-3, 4-4) defeats Brownsville (2-5, 2-6), it clinches a playoff spot for the first time in 2009. The Blue Devils could also earn a playoff berth if Derry loses at home to Waynesburg.