Chicks Picks – Week Eleven – 2014

By: Bruce Markey
Thursday, November 6, 2014 | 2:17 PM

Welcome to Week 11 of the high school football season. Chick’s Picks is an avid fan of the Pittsburgh Dad video series, always looking forward to new episodes every Tuesday.  Needless to say, she was pleasantly surprised this Tuesday, when she saw her own name mentioned in the caption.  Chick’s Picks clicked play without further delay.

Pittsburgh Dad started off the episode in his finest Pittsburghese, “Yinz heard about that lady that says she can predict WPIAL football games?  Well, I can do that, too.  Hey Deb, bring me my magic eight ball.”

The video cut to the next scene, as Pittsburgh Dad sat on his couch with his classic magic eight ball in hand.  He called upon its service as he gave it a shake, “Hey magic eight ball, is Clairton gonna score a touchdown this week?”  The pseudo-crystal ball replied, “As I see it, yes.”

Pittsburgh Dad went on, “Hey magic eight ball, is South Fayette gonna throw a pass this week?”  The video panned out to show the response, “Outlook good.”

“Now how hard can it really be for that Chick’s Picks lady to predict them WPIAL games?  Obviously, anybody can do it,” Pittsburgh Dad concluded as the credits began to roll.

Despite the downplaying of her prognosticating abilities, Chick’s Picks was thrilled to be Pittsburgh Dad’s subject.  As The Boss often reminds her, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Chick’s Picks finished last week with a 29-8 (78%) record, bringing her season total to 430-127 (77%).  Here are this week’s big games:

CLASS AAAA:
#6 Woodland Hills (8-2) vs. #3 Pittsburgh Central Catholic (9-1)
The Wolverines will seek revenge when they travel to take on the Vikings at North Allegheny in a rematch of last year’s WPIAL Class AAAA title game.  Woodland Hills, in last week’s opening round, routed North Hills, 41-2, while Central Catholic topped Norwin, 42-7.  The Wolverines have found success in the air and on the ground between QB Jeremiah Jones and RB Miles Sanders.  The defending champ Vikings rely heavily on the running game behind Grant Foster, Brian Totten, Ronnie Jones, and Vinny Emanuele.  The foursome has combined for 41 touchdowns on the year.  Woodland Hills’ two losses this season came to Penn Hills and then-Class AAA’s top ranked West Allegheny.  Central Catholic’s only blemish came to Northern Eight Conference rival Pine-Richland.  Chick’s Picks knows that this one could go either way, but predicts the Vikings’ stingy defense to outlast.
Pittsburgh Central Catholic over Woodland Hills.

CLASS AAA:
#5 Ringgold (9-1) vs. #4 Hampton (9-1)
West Allegheny will be the site for this quarterfinal matchup between the Rams and the Talbots.  Ringgold started off its postseason with a 24-14 win over Gateway, while Hampton knocked off New Castle, 33-14.  The Rams boast multiple offensive threats, including QB Nico Law and RB Chacar Berry.  Law has thrown for 1,151 yards, and picked up another 708 yards on the ground.  Berry has broken the 1,300-yard mark, and found paydirt 22 times for the Rams this season.  Ringgold’s flashy offense will be up against a solid Hampton defense, though, that is allowing only 11.2 points per game.  Chick’s Picks predicts that the Rams will have just enough offensive ammo to punch a ticket to the semifinals.
Ringgold over Hampton.

CLASS AA:
#5 Seton-LaSalle (9-1) vs. #4 Highlands (10-0)
Seton-LaSalle meets Allegheny Conference champ Highlands at Valley in this quarterfinal matchup Friday night.  Last week, the Rebels blanked McGuffey, 20-0, as the Golden Rams edged New Brighton, 24-19.  Seton-LaSalle will faced a similar challenge this week, against a strong Highlands running game.  Elijah Jackson has rushed for over 1,600 yards for the Rams, and posted 20 touchdowns on the year.  The Rebels feature one of the top quarterbacks in the WPIAL in Tyler Perrone, who has thrown for 1,858 yards and 22 touchdowns.  RB Ricky Mellick presents another dimension for Seton-LaSalle’s opponents to contend with—a 1,000-yard rusher with 11 touchdowns so far this season.  Chick’s Picks predicts that a stronger regular season Century Conference schedule will pay dividends for the Rebels in this one.
Seton-LaSalle over Highlands.

CLASS A:
#6 Jeannette (9-1) vs. #3 Neshannock (10-0)
The Jayhawks travel to Deer Lakes to take on the undefeated Lancers in a Class A quarterfinal battle Friday night.  In its first year in Class A, Jeannette advanced in the postseason with a 50-19 win over Brentwood last week.  Neshannock rolled over Greensburg Central Catholic, 48-3.  The Jayhawks blanked that same GCC team, 36-0 in the final week of regular season play.  Jeannette’s only loss this season came to Clairton, 58-14, in Week 6.  Quarterback Frank Antuono has led the Lancers this season with 1,341 yards and 15 touchdowns.  Although stats favor the Lancers, Chick’s Picks predicts the Jayhawks to use their recent Class AA experience to their advantage.
Jeannette over Neshannock.

CLASS AAAA:

McKeesport over Plum

Penn-Trafford over North Allegheny

Pine-Richland over Altoona

CLASS AAA:

Thomas Jefferson over Mars

West Allegheny over Franklin Regional

Central Valley over Indiana

CLASS AA:

South Fayette over South Park

Washington over Apollo-Ridge

Aliquippa over Mount Pleasant

CLASS A:

Avonworth over Riverside

Cardinal Weurl North Catholic over South Side

Clairton over Shenango

Tags: Hampton, Highlands, Jeannette, Woodland Hills