5 things to watch: Humidity, exciting matchups for opening night
In one of the greatest football movies ever made, “Remember the Titans,” Sheryl Yoast, played by an 11-year-old Hayden Panettiere, narrates the opening scene of the film and says, “In Virginia, high school football is a way of life. It’s bigger than Christmas Day.”
If you take out “Virginia” and replace it with “Southwestern Pennsylvania” in Panettiere’s quote, you have the exact feeling of many fans when football officially kicks off tonight throughout the area.
I’ll get off “Remember the Titans,” but you get the point.
Chances are many fathers and sons or daughters have grown up watching an earlier generation participate in the sport that is king in our area, and we look forward to many exciting highlights that begin tonight in Week Zero. Here are five things to look out for this evening:
1. Make sure you hydrate: Week Zero provides fans an opportunity to enjoy the talent that will take the field before most districts start school, but the late-August weather can be problematic for all involved.
The players, despite their athletic prowess and having youth on their side, are most susceptible to cramping and even dehydration, if they don’t have the proper amount of fluids in their bodies.
The forecast for Washington and Greene counties has temperatures reaching the mid-80s in the afternoon, but should cool off by kickoff at 7 p.m., however, the humidity will remain high. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms are predicted.
2. One to watch: Where grew up, the Game of the Week, no matter what the records are, is Uniontown vs. Laurel Highlands in a crosstown rivalry – the Mustangs and Red Raiders meet tonight – but for the Observer-Reporter coverage area I am going to select Canon-McMillan at Penn-Trafford.
This will serve as a huge test for the Big Macs, as the program is ready to take the next step in Class 6A.
Canon-McMillan suffered a 35-28 setback to the Class 5A Warriors last season, and the Big Macs will be on the road tonight, but I look for Canon-McMillan to win a tightly contested game, 31-28.
3. Sensational sophomore:
If you don’t mind driving to the Pittsburgh area, check out Fort Cherry’s nonconference game at Northgate.
Sophomore quarterback Matt Sieg is worth the price of admission. Sieg passed for more than 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns last season and approached 2,000 rushing yards with 33 touchdowns. The Rangers scored 69 points against the Flames in last year’s opener and expect another high-scoring output tonight.
4. An extra week: Three local teams decided to opt for scrimmages instead of playing in Week Zero. Defending Class 3A WPIAL and state champion Belle Vernon will scrimmage Steel Valley and Charleroi at Myron Pottios Stadium, and Burgettstown will host Sto-Rox. Both scrimmages are set for 6 p.m.
The Leopards have opted the scrimmage in favor of a Week Zero game since the option became available, and it hasn’t hurt coach Matt Humbert’s team as the Leopards have been consistently a contender for the WPIAL title and broke through last year.
Belle Vernon is the favorite to repeat with all-everything Penn State recruit and Observer-Reporter football preview cover boy Quinton Martin leading the way.
5. Odds and ends: For the second year in a row, South Fayette will host Chartiers Valley in Week Zero. The Colts were originally scheduled to host this year, but because of construction at the high school, they will not be able to play at home until Sept. 15.
Chartiers Valley plays Trinity next Friday. That game has been moved to Mt. Lebanon.
Mapletown and Avella play the first of a home-and-home series tonight at Avella. The Maples host the Eagles Sept. 8.
Bentworth’s David Pordash and West Greene’s Beau Jackson make their head coaching debuts tonight. Charleroi’s Ty Aeschbacher will make his debut Sept. 1.