Chicks Picks – WPIAL Quarterfinals

By: Bruce Markey
Thursday, November 8, 2012 | 9:11 PM

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Welcome to Week 11 of the high school football season. Chick’s Picks could not help but notice recent commercials for the live playoff round of NBC’s hit show, The Voice. Since spending countless hours singing during her travels this week, Chick’s Picks knew she was more than prepared to audition. This—falling in accordance with the WPIAL playoffs—she thought was surely a sign of good things to come.

The boss approved a few days off for Chick’s Picks to make the journey to the west coast for auditions. Dressed in her best Steelers attire in hopes of impressing Pittsburgh native and judge Christina Aguilera, Chick’s Picks took the stage for her performance. Before she had a chance to belt out a note, however, Aguilera stopped Chick’s Picks in her tracks.

The judge called out Chick’s Picks on a time last season when she had incorrectly predicted Aguilera’s alma mater, North Allegheny, to lose. Aguilera made her own prediction that Chick’s Picks would not advance to the next round, and politely suggested she leave the stage. Chick’s Picks returned to the east coast, crystal ball in tow, deciding to stick to her day job.

Last week, Chick’s Picks finished with an impressive 29-4 (88%) record, upping her season total to 509-122 (81%). Here are this week’s predictions:

Agree with her picks? Disagree? Chick’s Picks wants to hear from you! Be sure to follow her on Twitter @ChicksPicksMSA. Don’t forget to tweet your scores to us @MSASports or use #MSAScores!

CLASS AAAA:
Seneca Valley (9-1) vs. Mount Lebanon (8-2) at North Allegheny

The Raiders take on the Blue Devils in Wexford Friday night in quarterfinal action. Seneca Valley won big over Hempfield last week, 50-20, while Bethel Park topped Butler, 31-7. QB Jordan Brown leads a potent Raiders offense that averages over 40 points per game. Brown has thrown for 1,354 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. RB Forrest Barnes has nearly 1,400 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. Blue Devils QB Tyler Roth has 2,373 passing yards and 27 touchdowns. His favorite target, Troy Apke, has 1,015 yards and 14 touchdowns. Both Seneca Valley and Mount Lebanon suffered losses to North Allegheny this season. The Raiders fell 45-3 in Week 3, and the Blue Devils 39-14 in Week 1. Chick’s Picks thinks the balanced offensive attack of the Raiders will win out in this one.
Seneca Valley over Mount Lebanon

CLASS AAA:
West Allegheny (9-1) vs. Montour (9-1) at Chartiers Valley

West Allegheny will face Montour for the second time in three weeks on Friday night. This time, there is much more on the line—a trip to the semifinals. The Indians are coming off a 48-7 win over Ringgold, while Montour shut down Trinity, 27-6. When these two met in Week 8, West Allegheny won, 5-3, on a last minute field goal by Evan Pelcher. A stingy Indians defense held the Spartans—who were averaging 38 points per game—to only three points. Both have unique offensive sets. Indians QB Tory Delmonico is the team’s leading rusher with 670 yards and nine touchdowns. The Spartans use two quarterbacks—Tynen Greer and Ryan Mihelic—who have combined for more than 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns. All-around athlete Devin Wilson has more than 1,400 yards of offense and 18 touchdowns on the year. Chick’s Picks likes the Indians defense to step up big once again.
West Allegheny over Montour.

CLASS AA:
Washington (10-0) vs. Seton-LaSalle (9-1) at Canon-McMillan

The Little Prexies look to stay perfect when they meet the Rebels Friday night. Washington advanced in first round play last week with a 47-12 win over Shady Side Academy, as Seton-LaSalle shut down Greensburg Central Catholic, 28-10. Both defenses have been impressive this season, allowing less than 10 points per game. The Rebels feature one of the top quarterbacks in Class AA in Luke Brumbaugh, who has 1,581 passing yards and 17 touchdowns on the year. Washington’s potent offense—averaging 45.7 points per game—is led by highly touted junior RB Shai McKenzie, who has rushed for 2,162 yards and 37 touchdowns this season. Chick’s Picks predicts that the Little Prexies will maintain an unblemished record and earn a trip to the semifinals with the win.
Washington over Seton-LaSalle.

CLASS A:
Neshannock (9-1) vs. Monessen (9-1) at Chartiers-Houston

Neshannock and Monessen will fight for the right to advance to the semifinals Friday night at Chartiers-Houston. The Lancers are coming off of a 42-14 win over Jefferson-Morgan last week, while the Greyhounds routed Apollo-Ridge, 48-19. QB Ernie Burkes heads up a powerful Neshannock offense that averages 40.9 points per game. Burkes has passed for 1,251 yards and 14 touchdowns so far this season. RB Eli Owens also has 942 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns for the Lancers. Monessen QB Chavas Rawlins—a WVU recruit—has over 1,500 yards of offense, along with 11 passing touchdowns and 16 rushing touchdowns. Neshannock’s only loss this season came to Rochester, 28-21 in Week 6. Monessen’s lone defeat came to defending champ Clairton, 52-7 in Week 4. Chick’s Picks likes the Greyhounds to earn another shot at the Bears in the semifinals.
Monessen over Neshannock.