Oct 17, 2024 By Chris Dugan 4 min read

Leaves have started to fall from trees, the temperature has dropped and the Gardner Point System is being mentioned. Those things mean it’s late in the high school football season with long-standing rivalries being played and conference titles on the line, right?

Though postseason play for teams is rapidly approaching – only two weekends, starting tonight, remain in the regular season – the playoff picture in seven local conferences remains murky.

Some of the muddiness will be sorted out tonight with several games having playoff ramifications. However, other scenarios will play out next week, including the Class 2A Century Conference and Class A Tri-County South Conferences championships.

If you’re looking for championship showdowns this weekend, then you’ll have to look at other parts of the WPIAL. Only two games on the local schedule – South Fayette at Bethel Park and Monessen at Bishop Canevin – are games matching teams with winning records. And neither of those games involves a team from Washington or Greene counties.

That doesn’t mean games tonight do not have postseason implications.

Here are five things to know and watch:

1. Who’s in – Only three local teams that have clinched playoff berths and all are found in Class A. Fort Cherry (8-0) is in from the Black Hills Conference while Jefferson-Morgan (8-0), off to its best start in four decades, along with California (6-2) have clinched in the Tri-County South Conference. The Rockets and Trojans will play next week for the conference title.

2. Century of opportunity – It didn’t look like it when Washington lost at home to Waynesburg on Sept. 13, but the Little Prexies can win the Class 2A Century Conference. All it will take is two more wins. Washington (3-1, 5-3) plays tonight at Carlynton (1-3, 4-4) and next Friday will host conference leader Seton LaSalle (4-0, 7-0). The Rebels host second-place Keystone Oaks (4-1, 4-3) tonight and can clinch at least a share of the title with a win. Meanwhile, two wins nets a share of the title for Wash High and the Prexies will get the top playoff seed from the Century.

In wins over Keystone Oaks and Charleroi over the last two weeks, Wash High has outrushed its opponents by 482 yards. Quarterback Tristan Reed has been a Mike Tomlin-style quarterback – he’s been very efficient. Reed has thrown three TD passes and rushed for nine scores over the last six games while throwing only one interception during that stretch.

3. Collision course – There are only eight qualifiers – the top two finishers in each conference and two wild cards – in Class 4A. Trinity (2-1, 3-5) and Belle Vernon (2-1, 3-3) are tied for second place in the Big Six Conference and are on collision course for a de facto playoff game next week at Hiller Field. Trinity hosts Laurel Highlands (1-2, 4-3) tonight while the Leopards are at Ringgold (0-3, 1-7).

Keep an eye on LH kicker Tanner Bruzda, who last week attempted a 59-yard field goal. Yes, 59.

4. Trouble in the Hills – Bishop Canevin played Fort Cherry for first place in the Class A Black Hills Conference last week, a thrill-a-minute game won by the Rangers, 49-34. Bishop Canevin (3-1, 5-2) would slip to third in the conference if it loses Saturday night to Monessen (3-1, 7-1). The Greyhounds have a tough schedule to end the regular season – they play at Cornell (2-2, 6-2) next week – but a win over Bishop Canevin would go a long way toward securing a good seed for the postseason. Monessen already owns a road win over South Side Beaver (5-2 overall) of the Big Seven Conference.

5. Logjams – The final playoff positions from many conferences remain up for grabs among several teams, including the Class A Tri-County South, where four teams are in contention for the third playoff spot behind Jefferson-Morgan and California. West Greene (3-2, 3-5) is currently in third place, one game ahead of Bentworth, Carmichaels and Avella. West Greene clinches a postseason berth tonight if it wins at Carmichaels. A Carmichaels win means the playoff picture remains muddy.

Sports editor Chris Dugan can be reached at dugan@observer-reporter.com