Birdie on board as Jeannette bandwagon rolls into Reynolds

By: The Birdie
Thursday, November 19, 2020 | 11:40 AM

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Last week: 0-1

Season: 71-22 (76.3%)

Jeannette has impressed the Birdie since the preseason.

The pigskin prodigy told his dear readers in his first column of the year that the Jayhawks would be his “golden ticket” for the postseason.

He predicted six regular-season wins and a playoff run.

While he did not quite envision Jeannette winning its 10th WPIAL title and picked against the Jayhawks last week, he is requesting a do-over, a re-kick, another set of downs, to redeem himself.

He’ll never apologize for a pick, but he gladly will explain his ground.

“It wasn’t that I doubted Jeannette as much as it was that I believed in Clairton,” Birdie said. “I bought into the hype. I mean, come on. We all saw how good Clairton was. Nobody saw 45-14.

“But prediction and production are different things. Jeannette produced, and it deserves a huge shoutout for totally dismantling the Bears. You know, those Bears don’t usually go into hibernation until after the state finals.”

The Birdie didn’t get a ton of flak from Jeannette fans over his pick, but he is open to criticism because he is a stand-up prognosticator, “not just some blowhard,” he said.

“You can come at me. Just don’t knock me over like the players did their coach when they doused him with the water cooler,” the Birdie said. “That must have been how Clairton felt, minus the dousing part. Tee-hee.”

Jeannette enters the PIAA playoffs Friday at Reynolds, and the Birdie thinks the team will put together another complete effort.

“So many new names keep popping up for Jeannette,” the Birdie said. “That’s why they’re winning. This team has improved each week, and young guys are developing on the big stage.

“It takes a team to win a championship. Depth can go a long way, and the Jayhawks are a prime example of a team with layers of skill. Friday’s opponent has the same record as the Steelers, but it won’t matter. Sorry Reynolds, but it’s a wrap.”

• Jeannette (9-1) at Reynolds (9-0): While a long road trip is concerning for Jeannette, the Birdie thinks the revved-up defense will be ready right off the bus. Reynolds loves to run the ball, and if Jeannette can slow down the Raiders’ rush, it can win. The Jayhawks might need to be more balanced on offense than they were in the WPIAL final because the Raiders defense is solid. But with multiple weapons, and likely minus their stud freshman QB, the Jayhawks still should create a heavy-handed challenge, the likes of which Reynolds has not seen this season. Jeannette, 23-13

Tags: Jeannette