Showdown time for Mikes, Rangers
Fort Cherry’s multi-purpose player Ryhan Culberson has accumulated more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage.
Carmichaels quarterback Jonathan Christopher is completing 62 percent of his passes and is part of a multifaceted rushing attack.
CARMICHAELS – The game everyone in the Tri-County South Conference has been anticipating is here.
The two teams undefeated in conference play – Carmichaels and Fort Cherry – collide this evening on the Mikes’ home field in a battle for first place and – most likely – one of the top four seeds in the upcoming WPIAL Class A playoffs.
“They are a complete team,” Carmichaels head coach Ryan Krull said of the Rangers. “They have huge defensive ends. They have big-play guys. I’m excited and they are excited. … We tell (our kids) it’s not about what you’re saying but what you’re doing.”
The Rangers, with a dynamic lineup led by the do-everything Ryhan Culberson, are 5-0 in the conference and 7-0 overall. Their margin of victory is 28 points and they have averaged 48 points over the past three games.
Carmichaels, with a stable of talented running backs and strong offensive and defensive lines, is 6-0 in the conference and 6-1 overall. The Mikes’ lone loss came to Our Lady of Sacred Heart in a Week 2 non-conference game. The Mikes have won the last five games, two by shutout.
“We always focus on one game at a time,” Fort Cherry head coach Jim Shiel. “I’ve seen Carmichaels. Most of the films, I get to scout. They are very good. We’re looking for a challenge.”
Culberson, a transfer from South Fayette, has 1,422 total yards, 536 passing, 734 rushing and 142 receiving. The 6-4, 195-pound junior also is a threat on defense and special teams. He has scored at least two touchdowns in each of the last six games and is 11th in the WPIAL with 16 TDs and 98 points.
“He went to school here from elementary to seventh grade before moving away (to South Fayette) and I don’t think the family wanted to move,” said Shiel. “When he was here before, he played quarterback. South Fayette had a number of good ones. He would be better served there as a receiver.
“He’s a special athlete and we can put him all over the field. He can play quarterback, he can throw, he can run and he can catch. If we split him out, how many times would he touch the football? Maybe five or 10 times tops. At quarterback, he touches the football every play. Every time he touches the football, he’s a threat to make a big play.”
The Mikes’ rushing attack is four-pronged and each rusher is averaging more than six yards per carry. Running back Joey Minor leads the group with 384 yards and a 7.0 average, followed by quarterback Jonathan Christopher (379, 7.0), running back Cody Brown (355, 7.0) and fullback Brennen Pelzer (306, 6.1). Running back Nick Mundell has missed the past four games with an injury.
“We have so many guys who are deserving, so many guys who do things differently,” Krull said. “It gives our guys the best opportunity to win when they all touch the football.”
Three of the Mikes’ linemen tip the scales at 260 pounds and three others at 230 or more. Senior Robert Meadows, a 6-4, 250-pound senior, leads that group.
“Building that line starts in January and I credit our coaches with the the offseason strength and conditioning program,” Krull said. “A lot of times, people see the product on the field and don’t understand all the hours and all the work that goes into it.”
In other key games with playoff implications:
• In the Class AAA Big 9 Conference, Trinity (3-3, 3-4) must defeat Greensburg Salem (2-4, 3-5) this week then stop Ringgold (5-2, 5-2) in the regular-season finale to earn a berth. Ringgold, which has a non-conference game against New Castle tonight, needs a win over Trinity or a Hillers loss to Greensburg Salem to clinch that berth.
• South Fayette (6-0, 8-0) can clinch at least a share of the Class 4-A Northwest Nine Conference title with a win over Highlands (2-4, 3-4).
• Four teams in the Class A Tri-County South Conference are fighting for the final two spots. Avella (1-5, 1-7) hosts Monessen (1-4, 1-7), and West Greene (2-4, 3-5) has a non-conference game against Western Beaver before finishing with California (3-2, 4-4). Mapletown (3-3, 4-4) also has a non-conference game tonight against Eastern Conference leader Jeannette (6-0, 8-0) before ending the season against Monessen.
• In the Class AA Interstate Conference, Washington (5-0, 7-0) can clinch at least a share of the conference title with a win over Burgettstown (4-2, 4-3). Beth-Center (2-3, 2-5) can deliver a knockout punch to Charleroi (1-4, 4-4) with a win at home. Bentworth (2-4, 4-4) needs a win at home against Frazier (3-2, 4-4).