5 things to watch: Three local teams remain undefeated
And then there were three.
With Belle Vernon losing to rival Thomas Jefferson in non-conference play last week, three local teams remain undefeated after five weeks of play in the high school football season.
Peters Township, Washington and Fort Cherry bring 5-0 records into play this weekend. The majority of the contests will be in conference. Here are five things to look out for in Week 5.
1. The streak is over: Belle Vernon entered last week’s play having won nine straight games in the regular season, but with its loss to the Jaguars in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, the Leopards will look to start a new winning streak.
Fort Cherry has taken over the top spot in the area when it comes to regular-season winning streaks. The Rangers’ streak is now at nine. The Rangers have a huge challenge this week against Bishop Canevin in Class A Black Hills Conference play.
The Crusaders and Rangers play Saturday at Dormont Stadium. The kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Fort Cherry is 2-0 in conference play and 5-0 overall. Bishop Canevin, who didn’t play a Week Zero game, is 2-0 in conference play and 4-0 overall. The Crusaders received a forfeit victory last week over Avella.
2. Avella hopes to get back on field: The Eagles had some injuries in their game against Cornell two weeks ago, and because of those, the team was down to 10 healthy players and couldn’t suit up against Bishop Canevin.
Avella coach Ryan Cecchini said his team started with 17 players and were down to 15 against Cornell. Despite being outnumber in terms of roster size, the Eagles have won two games this season.
Avella has faced these issues before as the second smallest school in the WPIAL that has a football program, but always takes the field ready to compete.
3. Wash High is back: The Prexies finished last season with a .500 in the Class 2A Century Conference and won a first-round playoff game.
For many teams, that season would be considered a success, but with a program that has the tradition of Wash High, that was not the case.
The Prexies have dominated the competition to a 5-0 overall record, including 1-0 in the Class 2A Century Conference after a 47-6 victory over Brentwood. Wash High is averaging 38.6 points per game and allowing just 9.5 ppg.
The Prexies travel to Greene County tonight to face Waynesburg, who got off to a 4-0 start, including 1-0 in conference play, but suffered a 26-7 setback to McGuffey last week. Waynesburg is 4-0 in games played in Greene County and 0-1 outside of Greene.
4. Peters Township’s defense dominates: The Indians have steamrolled the competition to a 5-0 record, including 2-0 in the Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference.
Peters Township has put up 183 points (36.6 average per game) but its defense has allowed only 14 points all season, including back-to-back shutouts over a strong offensive units in South Fayette and Upper St. Clair over the last two weeks.
The Indians should continue their strong play tonight at Baldwin. Peters Township has several non-conference games upcoming against Class 6A schools in Mt. Lebanon and Canon-McMillan, but don’t be surprised if the Indians run the table as they head into the WPIAL playoffs.
5. The Leopards are still formidable: Yes, Belle Vernon lost last week, but sometimes a loss can be a good thing. Obviously, the Leopards wanted to finish this season undefeated in earning back-to-back WPIAL and state titles, but the perfect season is not on the minds of Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert and his players.
The Leopards, who decided to have a second scrimmage in Week Zero instead of playing a game, started 3-0 with victories over Laurel Highlands, McKeesport and Penn-Trafford. Belle Vernon needed overtime to defeat a McKeesport team that is one of the better squads in Class 4A and always a tough out.
The Leopards had a 12-0 lead after the first quarter and a 19-10 advantage at halftime in last week’s 24-19 setback to Thomas Jefferson, who plays in Class 4A and is one of the best programs in the WPIAL year-in and year-out.
The Jaguars benefited from three Belle Vernon turnovers and Thomas Jefferson’s Jason Salman made one of the better catches you will see in high school for the go-ahead score. I encourage you to watch the play online.
The point is, the Leopards are not going anywhere. They open Class 3A Interstate Conference play tonight at South Allegheny, and don’t be surprised to see them going into the playoffs on a roll.