Sep 6, 2018 5 min read

It’s a football fan’s dream weekend.

From Friday until Sunday, there aren’t many reasons to leave your couch.

Pitt plays Penn State. The Steelers, along with the rest of the National Football League, start the regular season.

However, if there is a reason to separate from the television, let it be to check out one of the numerous important conference games across the WPIAL Friday night.

Here is what to watch during an important Week 2:

1. Neighbors reunite: It’s been nine years since Fort Cherry and Burgettstown played each other in football, despite the short distance between schools.

But location isn’t the only similarity of these two teams.

Both are leaning on solid offensive and defensive line play. They are each breaking in several new starters at the skill positions. And the Rangers and Blue Devils, maybe even surprising themselves, are atop the early Three Rivers Conference standings.

This off-and-on rivalry has lately been dominated by Fort Cherry (1-0, 2-0). Since 2000, the Rangers have won all eight games against Burgettstown. They lead the all-time series over the Blue Devils, 19-13-1, and the last time they lost was in 1983.

So what’s going to be the determining factor when the two meet at Jim Garry Stadium for the 7 p.m. kickoff?

This game will go back to old-school roots – the first game between these two teams was played in 1959 – with the winner being able to stop the run.

In the Rangers’ two wins this season, both by one score, senior running back Zach Vincenti has 237 yards and four touchdown on 30 carries.

Burgettstown (1-0, 1-0) defeated Seton-La Salle in its opener by only completing one pass. Quarterback Jake Lounder ran 24 times for 100 yards and Shane Kemper had 77 yards on 18 carries.

2. Times have changed: If there is one WPIAL team that has interrupted, if only for a little bit, the dominance of Thomas Jefferson, it’s been Belle Vernon.

There is no longer a big brother versus little brother vibe between the Big Eight Conference teams. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

The game used to have that feel because considering it one-sided would be putting it kindly. Thomas Jefferson won 12 consecutive games over the Leopards from 2003-2014.

Over the last four years, they have split four games, including a pair of games last year. Belle Vernon defeated the Jaguars in the regular season, 21-17, then Bill Cherpak and company blanked the Leopards in the playoffs, 27-0.

Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert has changed the perception of the Belle Vernon program. He will look to continue to do so with another impressive early season victory and possibly apply a stranglehold on the conference’s top spot.

Having the ability to run the football and dominate the line of scrimmage has been a focal point for each of these teams over the past several years, but look for the play of quarterbacks Jared Hartman and TJ’s Shane Stump to possibly determine a winner.

3. Avoiding the snowball effect: It’s easy to overreact to early-season losses. It also can be easy to allow one loss to lead to another.

That will be what Canon-McMillan will be trying to avoid when it travels north to play Seneca Valley at 7:30 p.m.

The Week 1 loss to Mt. Lebanon could hurt the Big Macs come playoff time, being that the Blue Devils will be one of several teams vying for the final playoff spots in Class 6A.

What would hurt worse is starting the season 0-2.

After its first loss in each of the last three seasons, Canon-McMillan has turned bad into worse. The Big Macs followed their first loss last season with two more losses. In 2015 and 2016, an opening defeat led to four-game losing streaks. They didn’t win a game in 2014.

4. Eye of the hurricane: When South Fayette lost to Upper St. Clair, 34-33, in the opening week of the season, coach Joe Rossi said the only thing that matters was that the Lions were 0-0 in conference play.

Fast forward two weeks later and South Fayette is 1-0 in the conference after a commanding home win over Beaver.

The Lions could take a big step at securing another conference title if it defeats New Castle tonight at 7 p.m.

Their best chance of doing so is with the left arm of first-year quarterback Jamie Diven. The transfer from West Allegheny has shown no ill affects of being in a different offense or throwing to unfamiliar receivers. In two games, Diven has completed 34 of 48 passes for 522 yards and 9 touchdowns. Eleven different receivers have at least one catch, while six have at least one touchdown.

5. Healthy Maples: There will be no cancellation this week from Mapletown as all but one of its players returned to practice.

Mapletown had to cancel its nonconference game against Clairton last week after several players were injured in Week Zero against Avella. The Maples only had 14 able bodies last week.

Five players returned from injuries and ailments to give Mapletown 19 players entering its Tri-County South Conference game against Jefferson-Morgan at 7 p.m.

“We got them back throughout the week and had a good week of practice,” said Mapletown coach George Messich.

To keep players healthy and safe, Mapletown practiced in the air-conditioned gym Tuesday and Wednesday, avoiding the dangerously high temperatures and humidity levels.