Chicks Picks – 11/24/2011

By: Bruce Markey
Thursday, November 24, 2011 | 9:30 AM

Welcome to Championship Saturday. The NFL will feature an interesting Thanksgiving Day matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens.  After listening to the hype surrounding the game, which pits brother against brother in 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh and Ravens Coach John Harbaugh, Chick’s Picks reflected upon her own coaching days. 

As a sophomore in college, Chick’s Picks–once a stellar athlete–decided to step off of the field and into a coaching role, where she would have the opportunity to flourish as a leader.  When opportunities arose for flag football coaches, Chick’s Picks and her roommate both jumped at the chance.  Their friendship thrived as they bonded over their coaching experiences–until their teams met on the field, that is.

Chick’s Picks and her roomie tried their best to remain professional and not allow what happened on the field to affect their friendship.  They, to this day, maintain their kinship, but never let go of the memories surrounding that bitter flag football rivalry from their collegiate years.  Fittingly, Chick’s Picks’ roommate moved away after she wed an assistant coach of one of the Steelers’ biggest rivals.  So, Chick’s Picks and her dear old friend, to this day, carry on their opposition on the football field.

Chick’s Picks was impressive in last week’s predictions, accurately picking eight of nine games (89%), bringing her season total to 81%.  Be sure to follow Chick’s Picks, tweeting live from the Party on the Patio and throughout the day at Heinz Field @ChicksPicksMSA.  Here are the championship predictions:

CLASS A:
#1 Clairton (12-0) vs. #2 Sto-Rox (12-0)

How They Got Here:

Clairton: After finishing the regular season undefeated, the Bears had playoff wins over Cornell (54-0), Springdale (34-20), and Rochester (43-7).

Sto-Rox:  The Vikings also had a perfect regular season record, and advanced through the postseason with victories over Frazier (69-25), Brentwood (40-0), and Bishop Canevin (12-10).

Clairton and Sto-Rox kick off Championship Saturday at 11:00 am at Heinz Field in a matchup that has been highly anticipated by most since the start of the season.  The Bears bring their massive 43-game winning streak into the WPIAL title game, and have won 15 consecutive playoff games. 

Clairton is aiming for its eight WPIAL championship, which would also be the fourth straight for the Bears, who are led by QB Capri Thompson and WR/RB Tyler Boyd.  Thompson has passed for nearly 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns on the year.  Boyd, the team’s rushing leader, has 1,720 yards on the ground this season, and has found the end zone a whopping 38 times. 

The Bears will face their toughest test to date in the Vikings, who boast a young but highly skilled quarterback, along with a slew of Division 1 prospects.  QB Lenny Williams, just a sophomore, has passed for nearly 2,000 yards and tossed 29 touchdowns.  The wide receiver trio of Marzett Geter, Dontez Ford, and Deaysean Rippey represent the highly recruited Sto-Rox offense, but one should not fail to mention RB Josh Beverly, who has gained 1,209 yards and 19 touchdowns. 

The Bears and the Vikings both boast powerful offenses, each averaging more than 40 points per game.  Each is strong defensively, as well, with Clairton recording eight shutouts this season and allowing only 3.8 points per game.  Sto-Rox recorded five shutouts and held opponents to 8.8 points per game. 

Chick’s Picks knows the Vikings will bounce back after last week’s close call, but it still won’t be enough to stop the well-oiled machine that is the Bears.
Clairton over Sto-Rox

CLASS AA
#1 Aliquippa (12-0) vs. #2 Jeannette (12-0)

How They Got Here

Aliquippa: The Quips finished the regular season with their perfect record intact, and went on to defeat Steel Valley (44-14), Washington (36-6), and Greensburg Central Catholic (35-0) to punch their ticket to Heinz Field.

Jeannette:  The Jayhawks also remained perfect throughout the regular season, then posted wins over Burrell (46-14), Shady Side Academy (35-14), and Seton-LaSalle (40-21) in order to advance to the title game.

Two of the most storied football programs in the WPIAL take the field at 5:00 pm to battle for Class AA gold. 

This Aliquippa team is no stranger to the big stage.  The senior Quips have played in the championship in each of their four scholastic years.  QB Mikal Hall commands a powerful offense, with his more than 1,300 passing yards.  Sophomore RB Dravon Henry has shown no signs of his youth, posting 1,200 yards and 18 touchdowns. 

The Jayhawks rely heavily on a running game that has racked up 2,800 yards this season.  Leading the way for Jeannette is QB Demetrious Cox (1,185 yards, 21 touchdowns), RB Jordan Edmunds (899 yards, 11 touchdowns), and Shavonta Craft (734 yards, 13 touchdowns).  The Quips have won 13 WPIAL championships, more than any other team.  The Jayhawks have eight titles to their name.  The number of WPIAL titles between these two is equal to the number of titles between the other six finalists combined. 

Aliquippa has finished the regular season undefeated 12 times, ranking it second all-time in WPIAL history, behind Jeannette who has been perfect 16 times.  These two last met in the 2007 WPIAL semifinals.  The 70-48 Jeannette win went into the history books as the highest scoring WPIAL playoff game ever and featured 1,000 yards of offense. 

Chick’s Picks knows the Quips are nearly a given title contender year in and year out, but likes the underdog Jayhawks in this one.
Jeannette over Aliquippa

CLASS AAA
#3 Knoch (12-0) vs. #5 Montour (10-2)

How They Got Here:

Knoch: After a perfect regular season, the Knights rumbled through postseason opponents, including West Allegheny (28-7), Thomas Jefferson (31-9), and Franklin Regional (9-7).

Montour: Despite regular season losses to Hopewell and Central Valley, the Spartans rallied in the postseason, defeating Chartiers Valley (55-20), West Mifflin (31-7), and Central Valley (21-14).

Knoch meets defending WPIAL Class AAA runner-up Montour to decide the championship at 2:00 pm.  The Knights needed a last second field goal to lift them over Franklin Regional last week.  Things won’t get any easier for Knoch on Saturday, as they face one of the most multi-dimensional offenses in the WPIAL. 

Montour QB Dylan Buechel has passed for 2,130 yards and 35 touchdowns this season.  His 160 yards last week against Central Valley moved him to #5 all-time among WPIAL quarterbacks.  RB Julian Durden’s 1,711 rushing yards this season are enough to push him over 5,000 career yards–and rank him as one of the Top 15 running backs in WPIAL history. 

Knoch RB Andrew Rumburg-Goodlin has rushed for 1,288 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, but suffered an ankle injury in last week’s semifinals.  Rumburg-Goodlin’s teammates have stepped up in a big way this postseason to help lift the Knight into the title game.  QB Ky Kenyon has more than 1,000 yards through the air, and another 800 on the ground.  Kenyon has tossed six touchdown passes in three playoff games.  The Knights have not been to a WPIAL Championship since 1992, when they fell to Blackhawk. 

Montour and Knoch last met in the 2007 semifinals, when the Spartans stuffed the Knights, 32-6.  This season has been both record breaking and heartbreaking for Knoch.  The Knights’ 12 wins this season are more than any other in school history.  This is also Knoch’s first undefeated season.  These records, however, pale in comparison to the tragedy suffered by the entire Knoch community a few weeks ago. 

Chick’s Picks knows the Spartans look like the favorite on paper, but thinks the spirit of the Knights could be even more powerful.
Knoch over Montour

CLASS AAAA
#1 North Allegheny (12-0) vs. #3 Upper St. Clair (11-1)

How They Got Here

North Allegheny: The Tigers rolled through the regular season and onto the playoffs, where they rolled over Fox Chapel (53-20), Seneca Valley (35-10), and Gateway (21-17).

Upper St. Clair: The Panthers suffered their only regular season loss to North Allegheny in Week 3, but went on to the playoffs and defeated Connellsville (42-0), Erie McDowell (21-14), and Pittsburgh Central Catholic (28-14).

The defending WPIAL and PIAA Class AAAA Champion Tigers bring a 19-game winning streak into Saturday’s Championship finale.  QB Mack Leftwich has been tremendous for North Allegheny, passing for 1,835 yards and 17 touchdowns, and rushing for 462 yards and seven touchdowns.  Leftwich has not thrown an interception this season. 

Upper St. Clair has been led by QB Dakota Conwell, who has 1,075 passing yards, and is also the team’s leading rusher with 997 yards and 19 touchdowns.  The Panthers overcame the odds last week when Conwell was sidelined with an ankle injury.  Backup QB Pete Coughlin stepped in like a veteran, passing for 61 yards, rushing for 209 yards, and led the Panthers to an upset of Pittsburgh Central Catholic.  Early week speculation leans toward Conwell missing Saturday’s title game, although no definite decision has been made yet. 

When these two met in Week 3, North Allegheny came away with a 28-21 victory, but not without struggle.  The Panthers held a two touchdown lead at the half, but were plagued by turnovers in the second half.  In that meeting, Conwell had 237 yards of offense and an interception on defense.  Since that loss, the Panthers have gone (9-0), outscored opponents 368-75, and recorded four shutouts. 

Chick’s Picks knows how hard it is to beat a great team twice in one season, but with Conwell’s status questionable, the Tigers could take home their second consecutive title.
North Allegheny over Upper St. Clair

Tags: Aliquippa, Clairton, Jeannette, Knoch, Upper St. Clair