WPIAL football full of surprises in Week 2
Week 2 was filled with evenly-matched games. Analysis and common sense go out the window when it comes to predicting the result of some WPIAL football games. Take Waynesburg and Brownsville for instance.
Who thought the Raiders would be 0-2? I admit that I picked them to beat Burgettstown and the Falcons, but a lack of depth and a ton of inexperience have shown. They will likely improve as the season progresses, but having to face Wash High this week won’t help.
How about California and Avella? Count me as one of the people who said there’s no way the Eagles could win that one. Forget about the size of their roster. It’s the quality of players who are gone that concerned me, but low and behold, it traded shots with the Trojans in a 61-42 shootout.
There’s no such thing as an expert in WPIAL football. That’s the beauty of high school football. Any team on any given night can win.
There are memorable performance like the one California senior KC Zajicek put on against Avella or the one by Chacar Berry against Thomas Jefferson in Week 1. Teams surprise from week to week and true contenders reveal themselves as we get closer to October.
Let’s start with one of those teams.
Carmichaels (1-1, 1-1) had a tough Week 1 matchup against Bentworth, which receives my award for most improved team from last season. The Mikes are inexperience and facing a veteran-laden team like the Bearcats exposed a few weaknesses.
So how did the Mikes respond? They handed Mapletown its second loss in as many weeks. Now, Carmichaels is in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot in the Tri-County South. A team such as California should not be taken lightly, but I like the Mikes’ talent and they’ll continue to improve.
Trinity (0-2, 0-2)
Now is not the time to panic, Hiller fans. The first reaction is to look for someone to blame, but Trinity started the season by losing to two good, experienced teams.
Belle Vernon beat Thomas Jefferson in Week 2 and Laurel Highlands is much better than people think. Let’s remember that Trinity’s players are learning new systems on offense and defense, plus have new starters on both sides of the ball.
Also, sophomore running back Joey Koroly did not play against the Mustangs. Facing a triple-option team like Laurel Highlands can expose inexperience on defense and the Hillers are still searching for their identity under head coach Jon Miller.
His goal is to have that identity in place by Week 5 and I bet they’ll find it. If they can grab a victory over Elizabeth Forward this week, Trinity will be in a good spot to still compete for the playoffs.
South Fayette (2-0, 2-0)
Other coaches in the Century Conference thought that sophomore Drew Saxton would be more of a game manager for the Lions this fall. If someone could find a way to stop senior running back Hunter Hayes (good luck with that) then South Fayette could be vulnerable.
They’ll change their minds once they watch the Lions’ film against Keystone Oaks.
All Saxton did was complete 7 of 8 passes for 111 yards and four touchdowns. He obviously won’t be asked to replicate Brett Brumbaugh’s numbers, but opponents will challenge Saxton to make throws from the pocket.
South Park first-year head coach Marty Rieck will be searching for a way to stop South Fayette’s dynamic spread attack. The Eagles and Lions play Friday in the latter’s home opener. The Lions hold a 34-game winning streak and have won 17 consecutive games at home, dating back to Oct. 21, 2011 when they lost to Seton-La Salle 33-10.
Washington (2-0, 2-0)
Do you want my analysis? The Prexies are pretty, but how good? We won’t know the answer to that question until Oct. 2, when they travel to Mount Pleasant. Wash High’s two major tests in the regular season will be the Vikings and McGuffey.
It’s obviously a bit of a down year for the Interstate Conference and the Prexies will have their fair share of critics around the WPIAL, who will criticize the strength of schedule. Never overlook Mount Pleasant.
Yes, Wash High has outscored its last two opponents, 110-7, but the Vikings present a different challenge and the Prexies have to eliminate mistakes on offense. The first team players not getting a ton of reps because of blowout wins is a bit of a concern, especially with injuries to the offensive line, but head coach Mike Bosnic will find a way around that.
Some younger, inexperienced plaeyrs competed with junior varsity last Saturday because they didn’t get enough reps against Burgettstown. That will likely continue as Bosnic tries to groom linemen to face opponents like McGuffey.
KC Zajicek, California: All he did was score eight touchdowns, finishing with seven rushing touchdowns and he returned a kickoff 80 yards at the end of a high-scoring second quarter.
Zajicek scored on runs of 1, 2 and 4 yards in the first half and 53, 5, 8 and 5 yards in the second half. He ran for 139 yards on 16 carries. The performance and the victory are a major boost of confidence for California, which survived a 72-0 loss to Clairton in Week 1.
Tony Welsh, Beth-Center: Is there a tougher kid in Washington or Greene County than Welsh? He was all over the field against Greensburg Central Catholic, breaking tackles on offense and laying out the Centurions on defense.
He carried the ball 35 times and despite facing eight-man fronts, Welsh still found a way to gain yards. His unofficial stats through two weeks: 53 carries for 472 yards (8.9 ypc) and seven touchdowns. He’s one of the most exciting players to watch in the O-R’s coverage area and one of the most underrated players in the WPIAL.
Chacar Berry, Ringgold: Another player you should watch before the season ends, Berry ran for 122 yards and three touchdowns against Uniontown. He also returned an interception for a touchdown. The combination of Berry and sophomore Brenden Small will make the Rams very difficult to stop.
Others receiving votes: Luke Lloyd of Avella, David Morgan of Carmichaels and Adam Townsend of McGuffey