Chicks Picks – 09/08/2011

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, September 8, 2011 | 5:38 PM

Welcome to Week 2 of the high school football season. After being rejected from 7-on-7 football over the summer, Chick’s Picks had a stroke of good fortune when she was invited to participate in the Madden Pigskin Pro-Am.  The flag-football game is held annually to celebrate the release of the video game Madden from EA Sports.  Participants include current NFL players, NFL alumni, and celebrities of all sorts.

Chick’s Picks boarded a plane to Malibu, CA to prepare for the big game.  She suited up with the Famers, of course, and headed out to practice.  Despite being retired from sports for more than a decade, Chick’s Picks teammates were in awe of her lightning-fast speed.  Lining up at wide receiver, she gracefully ran her routes and pulled in every pass from Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino with ease.

Once Chick’s Picks realized how intimidated her teammates were, she decided to bench herself in order to give some of the other amateurs greater opportunities in the game.  The sideline support she offered was almost as good as her prognosticating abilities.

Chick’s Picks finished Week 1 with an impressive 56-12 (82%) record.  Here are this week’s big games:

CLASS AAAA
#7 Penn-Trafford (1-0) at #4 Mount Lebanon (1-0)
The Warriors invade Mount Lebanon in this Class AAAA non-conference matchup Friday night.  Penn-Trafford is coming off a 42-12 route of Peters Township in opening week play, while Mount Lebanon shut down Pine-Richland, 34-7.  The backfield will likely be the focus on both sides.  Warriors senior RB Manny Simpson rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns against Peters.  Blue Devils senior back Luke Hagy posted 247 yards and five touchdowns.  Hagy’s performance set new records at Mount Lebanon for career rushing yards (3,135), and career touchdowns (50).  When these two met last season, the Blue Devils ran away  with a 43-18 victory.  Regardless of this year’s outcome, this meeting will be a good non-conference test for both before heading into conference play.  Chick’s Picks knows the Warriors have come a long way since last season, but thinks the perennial power Blue Devils come away with this one…Mount Lebanon over Penn-Trafford.

CLASS AAA
#1 Montour (1-0) at #3 Hopewell (1-0)
This Parkway Conference showdown will surely not disappoint as the Vikings host the Spartans.  Montour made a statement in Week 1, crushing Chartiers Valley, 49-14.  Hopewell, on the other hand, surprisingly just edged Belle Vernon, 14-7.  The Spartans’ two-punch combo of QB Dillon Buechel and RB Julian Durden combined for over 400 yards of offense and five touchdowns against the Colts last week.  Highly-touted Viking RB Rushel Shell scored Hopewell’s game-winning touchdown on a 66-yard run in the fourth quarter against Belle Vernon.  Shell is considered to be one of the top five running backs in the country.  His 147 yards in Week 1 put him 733 yards away from becoming the WPIAL’s all-time leading rusher.  Shell has posted 100 rushing yards in 30 consecutive games.  Montour has proven to be a danger to opponents from different angles, while Hopewell relies heavily on the legs of Shell.  Chick’s Picks thinks the multiple threat offense of the Spartans will put the Vikings to rest…Montour over Hopewell.

CLASS AA
#1 Aliquippa (1-0) at #3 Beaver Falls (1-0)
The Quips visit the Tigers in this Beaver County perennial favorite Friday night.  Last week, Aliquippa upended Laurel, 41-7, while Beaver Falls stopped Mohawk, 57-7.  The name Hall will certainly be a constant in this one, between Davion & Mikal Hall of the Quips, and Trey Hall of the Tigers.  Aliquippa QB Mikal threw for 119 yards in last week’s win, as WR Davion was on the receiving end of 63-yard and 49-yard touchdowns.  The Quips are not just pass-happy though.  They also put up 244 rushing yards against Laurel.  Tigers RB Trey Hall tallied 148 yards on the ground, contributing to his team’s 426 yards of offense.  These two have met six times over that past four season.  Aliquippa won four of those six meetings, including the 2009 WPIAL semifinals and the 2008 WPIAL championship.  The Quips have advanced to the WPIAL title game in each of the last three seasons.  Chick’s Picks thinks this step over the Tigers will put them one step closer to a fourth…Aliquippa over Beaver Falls.

CLASS A
#2 Rochester (1-0) at #8 Fort Cherry (1-0)
Fort Cherry used 32 second quarter points to overcome Western Beaver, 55-40, in its season opener.  Rochester, on the other hand, easily ousted Serra, 41-7.  The Rangers got a major contribution from Tanner Garry, who caught three touchdown passes and returned an interception for another.  This week’s non-conference matchup against defending WPIAL Class A runner-up Rochester will not be that easy, though.  The Rams stingy defense was impressive against Serra, forcing four turnovers and not allowing the Eagles to complete even a single pass.  When these two met last season in Week 2, Rochester shutout Fort Cherry, 46-0.  Chick’s Picks thinks this time around will be much of the same…Rochester over Fort Cherry.

CLASS AAAA:

Northern Seven Conference
North Allegheny over Butler

CLASS AAA:

Big Eight Conference
West Mifflin over Elizabeth Forward
Belle Vernon over McGuffey
Thomas Jefferson over South Park
Chartiers Valley over Trinity

Parkway Conference
Blackhawk over Moon
Ambridge over New Castle
Central Valley over West Allegheny

CLASS AA:

Interstate Conference
Charleroi over Brownsville
Waynesburg over East Allegheny
Greensburg Central Catholic over Southmoreland
Mount Pleasant over Yough

Midwestern Conference
Beaver over Freedom
New Brighton over Ellwood City
Riverside over Mohawk

CLASS A:

Eastern Conference
Springdale over Avonworth
Bishop Canevin over OLSH
Riverview over Leechburg
North Catholic over Wilkinsburg

Tri-County South Conference
California over Carmichaels
Monessen over Mapletown
West Greene over Frazier
Beth-Center over Geibel

CITY LEAGUE
University Prep over Brashear
Allderdice over Oliver
Perry over Carrick

WPIAL & CITY LEAGUE NON-CONFERENCE
McKeesport over Altoona
Washington over Apollo-Ridge
Erie McDowell over Baldwin
Bentworth over Cornell
Pittsburgh Central Catholic over Bethel Park
Gateway over Penn Hills
Greensburg Salem over Connellsville
Shaler over Hempfield
Highlands over Derry
Keystone Oaks over Burrell
Franklin Regional over Kiski Area
Plum over Kittanning
Knoch over Albert Gallatin
Theodore Roosevelt (D.C.) over Langley
Canon-McMillan over Latrobe
Jeannette over Laurel
Laurel Highlands over Peters Township
Mars over Pine-Richland
Jefferson-Morgan over Northgate
Upper St. Clair over Norwin
Freeport over Quaker Valley
Ringgold over Hampton
Seneca Valley over Fox Chapel
Serra Catholic over Neshannock
Seton-LaSalle over Shady Side Academy
Ford City over South Allegheny
Brentwood over South Side
Sto-Rox over Carlynton
South Fayette over Summit Academy
Avella over Union
Indiana over Uniontown
Valley over Hollidaysburg
Steel Valley over West Shamokin
Woodland Hills over North Hills
Chartiers-Houston over Shenango
Clairton over Western Beaver
Deer Lakes over Burgettstown
Linsly School (WV) over Westinghouse

Tags: Aliquippa, Beaver Falls, Fort Cherry, Hopewell