Chicks Picks – Week 4 – 2015

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, September 24, 2015 | 2:55 PM

Welcome to Week 4 of the high school football season.

Last Friday night, as Chick’s Picks monitored the various MSA Sports Network social media feeds, she noticed a newcomer to the Twittersphere – one who called himself @avonworthmascot. Could it be? Could Chick’s Picks’ favorite WPIAL mascot of all time finally be here on Twitter? Without hesitation, Chick’s Picks clicked the “Follow” button.

Moments later, Chick’s Picks received a Twitter notification of her own, letting her know that she had a new follower: @avonworthmascot himself. Chick’s Picks was flattered to say the least, and immediately showed her delight with a happy dance throughout MSA Sports World Headquarters, much to the dismay of The Boss.

Grumbling under his breath, The Boss could not understand the big deal. Chick’s Picks tried to enlighten The Boss and said, “Have you ever looked up the definition of antelope? It’s an animal native to Africa and Asia that looks like a deer, has horns pointing up and back, and runs very fast. Boss—this creature came the whole way to the WPIAL from another continent. How could it NOT be my favorite mascot?”

The Boss remained underwhelmed, but that would not discourage Chick’s Picks. She took to Twitter, letting The Antelope know of her fondness of his stellar mascoting abilities. Chick’s Picks will hold out hope that one day, @avonworthmascot himself will make a guest appearance at MSA Sports World Headquarters—or, send us a few autographs and memorabilia in the meantime.

Chick’s Picks finished last week with a 52-13 (80%) record, upping her season total to 148-47 (76%). Here are this week’s big games.

CLASS AAAA
#3 North Allegheny (2-1) at Upper St. Clair (2-1)

Upper St. Clair hosts North Allegheny in a Class AAAA non-conference matchup Friday night. The Panthers will look to rebound after suffering an upset loss to Bethel Park last week, 30-7. The Tigers are flying high, on the other hand, after upsetting top-ranked Central Catholic, 24-17. Thomas Vissman leads Upper St. Clair with 287 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the year. North Allegheny is captained by QB Ethan Maenza, who can get it down through the air and on the ground. Maenza has thrown for 311 yards, and rushed for a team-best 300 yards. When these two met last season, the Tigers topped the Panthers, 31-14. Chick’s Picks predicts that the Tigers will capitalize on the shell-shocked Panthers in this one.
North Allegheny over Upper St. Clair.

CLASS AAA
#8 West Mifflin (3-0) at #2 Ringgold (3-0)

West Mifflin takes on Ringgold in a Big 10 showdown Friday night. Last week, the Titans rolled over Albert Gallatin 48-12, while the Rams pummeled Yough, 63-12. West Mifflin will face its toughest test so far this season in Ringgold. The Rams have continued to roll since their huge Week 1 upset of Thomas Jefferson, 27-20. The Titans will focus on their running game, led by Russell Tyree, who has rushed for 498 yards and eight touchdowns. Chacar Berry leads the Rams with 418 yards and 10 touchdowns in just three games. West Mifflin’s defense is allowing less than nine points per game; however, the Titans have yet to face an offense as powerful as that of Ringgold. When these two met last season, the Rams topped the Titans, 40-6. Chick’s Picks predicts a similar outcome this time around.
Ringgold over West Mifflin.

CLASS AA
#5 Steel Valley (3-0) at #8 Seton-LaSalle (3-0)

Steel Valley meets Seton-LaSalle at Peters Township in a Century Conference matchup of epic proportions. The Ironmen recorded their second consecutive shutout last week, 55-0, over Sto-Rox. The Rebels also rolled last week, 49-0 over Carlynton. Steel Valley boasts both the top offense and defense in Class AA, averaging 57 points per game, and allowing only two. DeWayne Murray leads a powerful Ironmen ground game. The sophomore running back has scored nine touchdowns already this season, including five in the first half of last week’s win over Sto-Rox. The Rebels have a sophomore weapon of their own in Lionel Deanes, who has rushed for 582 yards and six touchdowns on the year. When these two met last season, Seton-LaSalle edged Steel Valley, 14-7. Chick’s Picks predicts an Ironmen victory in this edition.
Steel Valley over Seton-LaSalle.

CLASS A
#4 Shenango (3-0) at #3 Avonworth (3-0)

The Antelopes host the Wildcats in a Class A non-conference battle of Top 10 teams. Avonworth is coming off of a 47-30 win over Brentwood last week, while Shenango rolled over Rochester, 35-6. Quarterback Zach Chandler has led the Antelopes so far this season with 865 passing yards and 11 touchdowns. Avonworth’s powerful offense is averaging 43.3 points per game, but will have its hands full Friday night facing a Shenango defense that has allowed only 18 points all season. When these two met last season, Avonworth came away with a 42-14 victory. Chick’s Picks predicts a much closer contest this time around, but still the same result.
Avonworth over Shenango.

CLASS AAAA:

Foothills Conference

Hempfield over Connellsville

McKeesport over Latrobe

Plum over Norwin

Penn-Trafford over Altoona

Northern Eight Conference

Pittsburgh Central Catholic over Fox Chapel

North Hills over Seneca Valley

Butler over Shaler

Southeastern Conference

Bethel Park over Canon-McMillan