Sep 9, 2018 4 min read

What was supposed to be a promising week of competitive games only showed the vast difference between the haves and have-nots in local high school football.

Of the 18 area games, many of which matched two local teams, 17 were decided by 20 or more points.

Even with the lopsided nature of Week 2, here is what we learned from a busy week:

1. Defense wins championships: Peters Township coach T.J. Plack and the Indians aren’t settling for a playoff spot in Class 5A. They have their eyes set on winning the difficult Allegheny Eight Conference.

Plack has done an incredible job turning around the program since being hired in January 2016.

How has he done it? With defense.

The Indians held opponents to fewer than 20 points in eight of 11 games last year, allowing 18.9 points per game, which was good for fourth in Class 6A.

The solid defense has carried over to this season for Peters Township (1-1, 2-1). In three games, the Indians have surrendered an average of 7.7 points, the second to only Gateway in Class 5A.

2. Class 4A is clear cut: The top two teams in Class 4A are Thomas Jefferson and South Fayette.

No questions. No hesitations. No doubts.

Not that there were any of those prior to this week. It’s just much more obvious after both teams thumped contenders.

Thomas Jefferson didn’t just invade the beach, also known as Belle Vernon’s James Weir Stadium and its gold turf. The Jaguars set up umbrellas, kicked back and showed why they should be the favorites again in 2018.

South Fayette jumped on New Castle early and never looked back. The Lions haven’t really mixed the run with the pass, but until a defense shows it can stop quarterback Jamie Diven and the Lions’ wide receivers, there is no reason to run the ball.

3. Bumps in the road: While an interstate is paved and smooth, the Interstate Conference looks like a bumpy road with a lot of potholes to navigate.

If the season ended today, Washington – the WPIAL Class 2A champion last year – wouldn’t be one of the four playoff teams. The Prexies currently sit in sixth place but have only played in one conference game.

The four playoff teams as of now are Beth-Center, McGuffey, Charleroi and Southmoreland. I can’t see Washington not making the playoffs. But Beth-Center and McGuffey will give the Prexies fits with their offenses, so it won’t be easy for Washington to find its way into the postseason.

If there is a game on the schedule that will likely determine the conference champion, here’s saying it will be Beth-Center against Charleroi.

4. On a serious note: Over the last two weeks, a pair of WPIAL players suffered serious head/neck injuries that required hospitalization.

It’s awful that it happened, and even worse that there’s a possibility of that happening every single play.

So take time to think of Laurel’s Hayden Hamilton and New Castle’s Matt Senchak. Hamilton is recovering in UPMC-Children Hospital of Pittsburgh, while Senchak was expected to be released after sustaining a concussion that stopped Friday night’s game and had players and coaches from New Castle and South Fayette praying together.

Laurel, by the way, plays at California Friday night.

5. Players of the week: Ben Jackson – Not only did the West Greene running back lead the Pioneers to a 41-0 victory over Chartiers-Houston, he set a milestone doing so. Jackson, a junior, racked up 336 rushing yards to surpass 3,000 for his career. He scored five of the seven touchdowns for West Greene.

Cochise Ryan – The California senior running back literally could not be tackled. Ryan had five carries for 258 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Trojans to a 57-6 win over Avella. He had touchdowns of 34, 38, 73, 90 and 16 yards. he also had a 35-yard touchdown reception.

Bailey Lincoski – In a 50-15 win over Brownsville, the Beth-Center senior quarterback completed all eight of his passes for 218 yards and three scores. Lincoski threw for touchdowns of 64, 45 and 57 yards. He also ran for a pair of scores.