Sep 21, 2017 3 min read

Trying to predict the Interstate Conference is a fool’s errand. Five teams have the potential to win it, and each has had highs and lows so far.

Consider:

• McGuffey beat two of the lesser teams in the conference in Frazier and Waynesburg, but suffered a nonconference drubbing by Quaker Valley. But the Highlanders pulled off a dramatic 28-21 overtime victory against Mt. Pleasant and can all but wrap up a playoff berth by defeating Elizabeth Forward tonight on the road.

• Elizabeth Forward, which like McGuffey is 2-0 in the conference, still must play its strongest opponent in the Interstate. A 16-point nonconference loss to Central Valley in Week 2 leaves some question as to how good EF can be.

• South Park, also 2-0 in the conference, struggled with Mt. Pleasant before coming away with a 14-9 win. The Eagles were then shut out by Washington, 41-0, in a nonconference game.

• Mt. Pleasant has three losses by a touchdown or less, including its overtime loss to McGuffey last week. The Vikings could easily be 3-0 instead of 1-2 in the conference.

• And Derry sits at 2-1 with the heart of its conference schedule still to go, starting with South Park tonight.

McGuffey and Mt. Pleasant have typically played close games the past four years.

“We lost on the last play there the first year (four years ago), they blocked an extra-point in overtime here the second year and we won on the last play the last two years,” said Highlanders’ head coach Ed Dalton. “They’ve been great games.”

One drive was stopped when outside linebacker Christian Clutter returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown and another was stopped at the Highlanders’ 1-yard line. Dalton called Clutter’s play the “greatest interception return I’ve ever seen.”

“He probably made five or six guys miss. It was a great play at a key time. If they go in and score, we’re in a lot of trouble,” Dalton said.

Clutter, who bruised his knee ligament in last year’s loss against Mt. Pleasant, said he got some key blocks on the interception return.

“I read pass and got in my drop,” he said. “The QB threw it and I caught the ball. I started running down the left sideline and people were trying to tackle me. Everyone thought I was tackled, but I just kept running.”

Dalton knows Elizabeth Forward will be a difficult test.

“They are Thomas Jefferson-like. They can run and throw it. They spread you out and are physical defensively,” Dalton said. “We’ll have our hands full.”

Elizabeth Forward is coming off a 41-0 win over Waynesburg in a game that produced six touchdowns, two each from running backs Brian Malloy and Seth Anders and two more from wide receiver Gavin Martik.