The Birdie concerned by amount of blowouts in Westmoreland County

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, October 10, 2018 | 7:21 PM

Last week: 12-2 (.857)

Season: 69-21 (.767)

The Birdie enjoys scoring, lots of scoring. But Westmoreland’s top — “Only,” he quips — high school football prognosticator, is seeing a disturbing trail of blowouts this season.

It’s causing him grief, “Like when Mrs. Birdie watches ‘This Is Us,’ ” he said, sniffling and glancing at his cell to play a round of “Birds with Friends.”

“People are all buzzing about low numbers on rosters and bad attendance at games, and that’s troubling, yes,” said the Birdie, who correctly picked 12 of 14 games last week. “But how about these high numbers? Let’s see, so far this season we’ve got 80-6; 70-0; 63-0; 60-0; 61-6 … shall I continue?

“Are teams still teaching how to tackle? Are we going to see the defensive coordinator position get the axe in the near future?”

The Birdie said teams need to “Khabib” ball-carriers, not “dance around them.”

“And they need to stop getting distracted on defense. Don’t watch, act!”

He pauses to play “Rock, Newspaper, Scissors” with a stringer.

Spread offenses have taken over the high school game like they have at the college level, but the Birdie’s gripe is with the defensive side of the ball.

“Now we need to design a defense to stop it. You give me 10 yards of open space, I can make some catches, too,” he said, striking a Heisman pose in the middle of the newsroom. He knocks over a desk lamp and it shatters. “You wideouts get more space than I get in press boxes. All this dink and dunk stuff, it’s free candy. A receiver gets a running start and the defender can barely react to wrap him up. Poor tackling technique. That’s why we have so many blowouts. Even you bad teams can make a better attempt.”

And as for lower crowds at games: “Would you want to drive an hour to watch a blowout?”

Northern Cambria (6-1) at Ligonier Valley (7-0)

Ligonier Valley will continue to add wrinkles into the gameplan as it preps for the postseason. Ligonier Valley, 35-21

Canon-McMillan (2-4, 1-4) at Norwin (3-4, 2-3)

Norwin needs this one to stay in the playoff chase. The Knights defense is due for a smackdown at home. Norwin, 26-13

North Allegheny (7-0, 6-0) at Hempfield (1-6, 0-6)

As the Birdie once told a co-worker before he opened a personal 32-cut pizza from Jioio’s: “Avert your eyes.” North Allegheny, 48-8

Connellsville (2-5, 1-3) at Franklin Regional (5-1, 3-1)

The Birdie always wonders what Franklin Regional could look like with a fully healthy team. The Panthers are getting there but are still pretty good with who they have. Franklin Regional, 36-9

Latrobe (1-6, 1-4) at Plum (2-5, 1-5)

It’s been more than a year since Latrobe won on the road, but the Wildcats will get it done with line play and some breakaways. Latrobe, 26-13

Belle Vernon (5-1, 4-1) at West Mifflin (4-3, 4-0)

Belle Vernon’s front line has not shared the limelight with the skill players, but it will this week. Belle Vernon, 31-20

Ringgold (0-7, 0-4) at Greensburg Salem (2-5, 2-2)

Offutt Field has been a busy place this season, and the Golden Lions won’t disappoint in their fifth home game of the campaign. Greensburg Salem, 44-7

Derry (6-1, 4-1) at Yough (3-4, 3-2)

Halloween is coming, and the Birdie is going to dress up as Yough’s schedule. “Now that’s scary,” he said. Derry, 43-14

Elizabeth Forward (5-1, 4-1) at Mt. Pleasant (1-6, 1-4)

Mt. Pleasant missing the playoffs two years in a row is something the Birdie never saw in his crystal ball. Elizabeth Forward, 45-6

Greensburg CC (5-2, 3-2) at Jeannette (7-0, 3-0)

While GCC has shown quite an improvement over the last year, the Centurions just won’t be able to keep up with the Jayhawks’ speed on both sides of the ball. Jeannette, 38-14

Monessen (5-1, 4-1) at Mapletown (0-7, 0-4)

Monessen is churning out playoff-contending football again. Monessen, 38-6

Penn-Trafford (5-2) at Trinity (1-5)

Penn-Trafford has shown steady improvement each week. The Warriors won’t have to onside kick this game, but they probably will for rehearsal purposes. Penn-Trafford, 42-7

Shenango (1-6) at Southmoreland (3-4)

Look for some deep touchdown passes and a tidy Scotties win at The Grimm. Southmoreland, 47-14