Oct 28, 2021 3 min read

It took 10 weeks to get to this point.

Fort Cherry High School’s football team is left with this simple formula: beat Burgettstown and live to play another game, this time in the WPIAL Class A playoffs or lose to Burgetstown and go home and plan for next year.

Fort Cherry comes into this game with 3-3 record in the Big Seven Conference and 5-4 overall. The Blue Devils are 2-4 and 4-4.

“I understand we can finish either in third place and in the playoffs if we win or in fifth place and out of the playoffs if we lose,” said Fort Cherry head coach Tanner Garry.

Fort Cherry is coming off a 1-0 forfeit loss to Cornell because of COVID-19 problems. That forced an adjustment to practice times and who could attend them.

“We’re just happy we can play,” Garry said. “There was a time when we didn’t know if that game was going to be played.”

Fort Cherry quarterback Maddox Truschel went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark two weeks ago. He will be ready to go this week.

Other races

In the Class AA Century Conference, Washington is looking for an undefeated regular season. A win over McGuffey would accomplish that.

The Prexies (5-0, 8-0) were helped by two forfeits, one by Beth-Center and the other by Frazier, in their race to the top.

McGuffey (4-1, 5-4) can create a three-way tie with Chartiers-Houston (5-1, 7-1) and WHS for the conference by beating Washington.

The Bucs, who are off this week, will be all alone in second place if Washington wins.

Beth-Center and Waynesburg play in Fredericktown with the fourth and final playoff spot on the line. A win puts B-C in. Waynesburg can get in with a victory, but might need to win by seven or more, depending on what Charleroi does in its game against Frazier.

In the Class A Tri-County South Conference, Mapletown (4-2, 6-3) and West Greene (6-0, 7-2) are both in the playoffs. The Pioneers can secure the top spot in the conference with a win over the Maples.

Carmichaels (5-1, 7-2) can finish tied for first by beating Jefferson-Morgan (1-5, 1-8) and Mapletown defeating West Greene.

If Avella (1-5, 1-8) defeats Monessen (2-4, 3-6), Carmichaels defeats Jefferson-Morgan, and california beats Bentworth, then it would create a tie between Avella and Monessen for the final playoff berth in the conference. Avella would own the tiebreaker for beating Monessen.

In the Class 6A Quad County Conference, Canon-McMillan (2-4, 5-4) can clinch a spot with a win over Central Catholic (5-2, 7-2) or if Baldwin (2-4, 2-7) loses by six points or more to first-place Mt. Lebanon (6-0, 9-0).

In the Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference, a three-way tie can occur between Peters Township (1-3, 3-4), West Allegheny (1-3, 3-4), and South Fayette (0-4, 4-5).

Peters Township gets in with a win and South Fayette clinches a spot if the Lions win by 10 or more points. West Allegheny gets in with a win or a Peters Township loss and a loss by no more than three points to first-place Moon (4-0, 9-0).

Some games are not just for the playoffs but for first place in the conference. In the Class 4A Big Eight Conference, Belle Vernon (5-0, 7-0) plays McKeesport (5-0, 8-1) for first place.