Wait for it, wait for it … OK, it’s time for The Birdie to make his A-K Valley picks

By: The Birdie
Wednesday, October 13, 2021 | 5:41 PM

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Last week: 5-6 (45.5%)

Overall: 49-24 (67.1%)

Sitting through a lightning delay last Friday night, many around The Birdie were getting fidgety. But not our fine feathered prognosticator.

“There’s never enough time to fully explore the concession stand menu during a regular Friday night game,” Birdie said.

“This one was a nice, long delay — a four-dogger,” he continued, measuring time by how many hot dogs he can inhale.

As he waited for the skies to clear, he started reminiscing about some other delays he’d sat through while covering games in his sort-of illustrious career.

“Refs getting caught in traffic – seen that a lot,” Birdie said. “I never give refs a hard time, though. For one thing, I appreciate what they do. For another, have you ever seen the way most dimwits drive through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel? Probably not the ref’s fault.”

“I was at a baseball game one time that was delayed because a drone was flying over the ballpark,” Birdie remembered. “I wanted to explain how the drone ended up there in my game story, but I was afraid it would go over my readers’ heads.”

“I was covering a men’s gymnastics meet at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland one time. Boy, that was a long delay,” Birdie said with a wink. “In fact, they had to the cancel the thing. The vault, the pommel horse, the parallel bars — they were all ready for action. But the rings, that was a problem. Couldn’t find a single ring in the whole stadium.”

With no further delays, this week’s picks.

• Freeport (3-3, 2-0) at Burrell (1-6, 1-2): After a couple losses and a couple postponements, the Yellowjackets had to be thinking this might not be their year. But they couldn’t ask for much better than a 3-0 conference record heading into a matchup with North Catholic. That’s what they’ll have if they beat the Bucs. Freeport, 27-14

• Kiski Area (5-2, 0-2) at Shaler (2-5, 0-2): After a couple of conference losses that could have gone either way, time for the Cavaliers to get back on track. Kiski Area, 30-10

• Penn Hills (3-3, 1-1) at Fox Chapel (4-3, 2-0): The Foxes are on a roll, but after a thrilling final-second win over North Hills last week, so is Penn Hills. Penn Hills, 21-20

• Armstrong (5-2, 3-1) at Highlands (4-3, 1-3): The River Hawks are more than the Cadin Olsen Show. The Rams will need a top-notch effort to knock them off. Armstrong, 34-21

• Knoch (2-5, 1-3) at Plum (2-5, 2-2): Just when the Mustangs were getting some momentum, they ran into a Hampton team that looks like the class of the Greater Allegheny. It’s just a speed bump. Plum, 19-12

• Deer Lakes (3-4, 3-1) at North Catholic (7-0, 3-0): The Lancers’ comeback season is a great story, but the Trojans have looked untouchable. North Catholic 30-10

• Serra Catholic (8-0, 2-0) at Apollo-Ridge (2-4, 1-1): The Vikings are in a better position in October than they were in September, but Serra Catholic is the real deal. Serra Catholic, 28-7

• Springdale (4-3, 1-3) at Imani Christian (2-4, 1-3): This is a game the Dynamos need to win to be included in top half of the Eastern Conference rather than the bottom half. Springdale, 21-12

• Yough (0-7, 0-4) at Valley (1-6, 1-3): The Vikings take on a winless opponent for the second straight week. Valley, 20-14

• Leechburg (5-2, 2-2) at Riverview (1-5, 1-3): A loss to Bishop Canevin had to be discouraging for the Blue Devils, but it’s time to shake it off and secure that elusive winning season. Leechburg, 31-13

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Armstrong, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Highlands, Imani Christian, Kiski Area, Knoch, Leechburg, North Catholic, Penn Hills, Plum, Riverview, Serra Catholic, Shaler, Springdale, Valley, Yough