Chicks Picks – Week 6 – 2010

By: Bruce Markey
Thursday, October 7, 2010 | 12:00 AM

Welcome to Week 6 of the high school football season. The sports headlines over the past few days have been all about the Randy Moss trade from the New England Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings. Chick's Picks couldn't help but get a bit nervous just thinking about it.

Looking at the parallels between herself and Moss, Chick's Picks realized they were all too similar. Moss is a hall of fame-bound wide-receiver, Chick's Picks is a hall of fame-bound high school football prognosticator. Moss was in his final year of a contract with the Patriots, Chick's Picks is in her final contract year with The Boss. Moss catches 70% of passes thrown to him, the other 30% he doesn't try to catch. Chick's Picks correctly predicts 70% of games, the other 30% she has no hope of picking right.

The paranoia had set in full force for Chick's Picks, especially when The Boss casually mentioned that The Fumbler would be stopping by MSA Sports World Headquarters Friday night. Hopefully the trade deadline won't be the expiration of the Chick's Picks' legacy at the Network.

Last week, Chick's Picks finished with a 52-11 (84%) record, bringing her season total to 251-89 (74%). Here are this week's big games:

CLASS AAAA
#9 Peters Township (4-1) at #5 Upper St. Clair (4-1)

A highly anticipated Great Sothern Conference showdown will take place at Upper St. Clair Friday night as the Panthers host the Indians for a claim on first place. Peters Township earned it's fourth win of the year last week, holding off Bethel Park, 21-14. Upper St. Clair also moved to (4-1) with a 38-22 win over Baldwin. These two have met only twice, in 2008 and 2009, after Peters Township jumped up to Class AAAA from Class AAA. In those two meetings, the Panthers have gone 2-0 and outscored the Indians 58-17. Chick's Picks knows the Indians have gotten off to a hot start this season, but it won't be enough to stop the perennial power Panthers.
Upper St. Clair over Peters Township.

CLASS AAA
#1 Montour (5-0) at #5 Central Valley (4-1)

The top-ranked Spartans take on the Class AAA newcomer in Monaca Friday night. Montour sits atop the Parkway Conference with a perfect record after knocking off New Castle last week, 24-6. The Warriors are quietly making a name for themselves as a contender in Class AAA, and rolled again last week, 29-20, over Moon. RB Julian Durden has developed into an integral part of the Montour offense, rushing for 245 yards and two touchdowns last week, and nearly 1,000 yards on the year. Opposite Durden on Friday night will be Central Valley's Curtis Lewis, who ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns against Moon. Chicks' Picks has certainly been impressed by the Warriors, but the Spartans are still a bit much for them to handle.
Montour over Central Valley.

CLASS AA
#4 Keystone Oaks (5-0) at #3 South Fayette (5-0)

Keystone Oaks goes on the road to take on South Fayette in this Battle of the Century. The Golden Eagles and the Lions both come into this matchup with perfect records, and tied for first place in the Century Conference. Keystone Oaks has been solid on both sides of the ball all season, outscoring opponents 222-40, and routed Washington last week, 37-0. South Fayette boasts one of the top quarterbacks in the WPIAL in Christian Brumbaugh, who threw for 290 yards last week in a 48-7 win over Burgettstown. These two have split their last two meetings–Keystone Oaks 53-3 in 2008, and South Fayette 28-22 in 2009. Chick's Picks likes the Lions in their second consecutive win this time around.
South Fayette over Keystone Oaks.

CLASS A
#7 Beth-Center (5-0) at #9 Monessen (4-1)

Monessen takes on another Top 10 contender Friday night, as the Greyhounds host the Bulldogs in Tri-County South Conference play. Last week, Beth-Center maintained its perfect record with a 46-32 win over California. Monessen was dealt its first loss of the season in heartbreaking fashion, 24-23, to North Catholic in overtime. The Greyhounds and the Bulldogs both tout tough defenses, holding opponents to less than 12 points per game. Beth-Center's offense has been stellar, posting a WPIAL-leading 244 points on the year. Chick's Picks fears that the heartbreak didn't end last week for the Greyhounds.
Beth-Center over Monessen.

CLASS AAAA

Big East Conference:

Penn Hills over Altoona

Pittsburgh Central Catholic over Plum

Woodland Hills over Fox Chapel

Foothills Conference:

Gateway over Hempfield

Norwin over Connellsville

McKeesport over Penn-Trafford

Great Southern Conference:

Mount Lebanon over Baldwin

Bethel Park over Canon-McMillan