Chick’s Picks thankful for prognosticating ability heading into Week 13

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, November 22, 2018 | 3:33 PM

Welcome to Week 13 of the high school football season.

While tuning into Monday Night Football earlier this week, one specific part of the game’s commentary caught Chick’s Picks’ attention. The ESPN broadcast team of Joe Tessitore and Jason Witten were raving about the offensive spectacle taking place between the LA Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs. They referred to the performance of quarterbacks Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes, who had both significantly contributed to the game’s 105 points scored, as their magnum opus.

This phrase stood out to Chick’s Picks as one that you do not hear regularly, particularly during a professional football game. So, she called upon Google to provide her more clarity on the term’s definition. Chick’s Picks learned that magnum opus is often used to describe the most important work ever done by an artist or writer.

So, Chick’s Picks began to reflect on her own magnum opus. What was her high point of this season? Was it her impressive 56-7 (89 percent) performance in Week 7? Was it her string of five consecutive weeks predicting more than 80 percent of game winners correctly?

After putting much thought into the matter, Chick’s Picks realized that, in her stellar prognosticating career spanning two decades, it would be impossible to narrow it down to only one magnum opus. So, during this week of Thanksgiving, Chick’s Picks is grateful that she has been gifted with such a tremendous prognosticating ability — and a talented crystal ball — which have contributed to countless magnum opuses over the years.

Chick’s Picks finished last week with a 5-3 (63 percent) record, bringing her season total to 524-150 (78 percent). Here are this week’s championship games:

CLASS 5A

No. 2 Penn Hills (13-0) vs. No. 5 West Allegheny (10-2)

Penn Hills takes on West Allegheny for WPIAL Class 5A gold at Norwin Friday night. The road to the championship for Penn Hills included a first-round victory over Latrobe, 55-7, a quarterfinal win over McKeesport, 34-7, and a semifinal win over Peters Township, 22-14.

West Allegheny blanked Shaler, 37-0, in the first round, then edged Woodland Hills, 14-13, in the quarterfinals, and followed with an upset of No. 1 seed Gateway, 42-28, in last week’s semifinals.

Senior quarterback Hollis Mathis pilots Penn Hills’ offense, passing for 2,365 yards and 34 touchdowns this season. The Indians’ running game is a factor, as well, with Tank Smith racking up 1,427 rushing yards and 18 scores.

West Allegheny’s versatile attack is led by Kam Kruze, who has thrown for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Indians’ backfield duo of Dante and Nico Flati has combined for 1,369 rushing yards and 16 scores. The Penn Hills offense is averaging two touchdowns more per game than West Allegheny.

However, this West A squad found a way to post 42 points last week against a Gateway team that had allowed only 50 points in its first 12 games this season.

Last season, Penn Hills finished with an 8-4 record after falling to Central Catholic in the Class 6A semifinals. West Allegheny finished at 7-3 and was knocked out by McKeesport in the Class 5A quarterfinals.

Penn Hills owns four WPIAL championships, with the most recent coming in 1995. West Allegheny looks for its ninth WPIAL title after last claiming gold in 2016. Chick’s Picks predicts that West A will write one final chapter of its Cinderella story and show coach Bob Palko out in style. … West Allegheny over Penn Hills.

CLASS 2A

No. 3 Steel Valley (11-1) vs. No. 8 South Side (10-3)

Steel Valley squares off against South Side in the WPIAL Class 2A championship at Robert Morris University Saturday at high noon.

The Ironmen made their way to the title game with a 49-0 first-round rout of Beth-Center, a 39-7 victory over Washington in the quarterfinals, and a 40-0 shutout of Freedom in the semifinals.

The Rams knocked off McGuffey in the first round, 36-27, then upset No. 1 seed Shady Side Academy, 32-16, in the quarterfinals, and held off Charleroi, 26-21, in last week’s semifinals.

Steel Valley’s only loss this season came to then-top-ranked Shady Side Academy. The Ironmen are fully loaded on offense, led by 1,000-yard passer Ronnell Lawrence. Steel Valley also boasts a stacked backfield featuring Kam Williams with 1,809 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns, and Todd Hill with 1,618 rushing yards and 30 scores.

South Side will look to its ground attack, led by Jake Botkin’s 1,587 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. The Ironmen and the Rams met earlier this year in the final week of regular season play. Steel Valley came away with a 53-6 victory.

Last season, the Ironmen finished with an 11-1 record after falling to Washington in the WPIAL Class 2A title game, 37-10. The Rams finished their season with a 3-7 record, and did not qualify for the postseason.

Steel Valley is averaging 44.3 points per game — two touchdowns more per game than South Side. The Ironmen defense is allowing only 11.9 points per game — half that of the Rams.

Chick’s Picks predicts that WPIAL title No. 5 will be in the record books for the Ironmen. … Steel Valley over South Side.

Tags: Penn Hills, South Side, Steel Valley, West Allegheny