The Birdie appreciates a good goose egg in Westmoreland County

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, September 20, 2017 | 5:24 PM

Four weeks into his new gig as Westmoreland County's high school football analyst, expert and forecaster — “Call me what you'd like,” he said, “Just don't call me late for kickoff,” he said — the Birdie has come to the realization that defense could be making a comeback.

“Local teams have been part of 11, count ‘em, 11 shutouts this season,” he said. “And I'm not even counting Norwin girls soccer. Everyone wants to talk about offenses scoring more — spread ‘em out and go — but defenses are still taking pride in a nice goose egg. I watch a lot of film, and I've seen more big plays from linebackers than receivers. I love it.”

The Birdie, who went 11-3 last week (the Franklin Regional loss was one of his all-time bafflers), sends props to the teams that still take pride in defense.

“They can take away the Log Jammer but don't stop jamming those wideouts,” he said. “I want Hudl highlights that show blitzes, hits and pick-6's. Set to Renegade.”

His hype for defense recently got him in trouble in the office when he intercepted someone's Lean Cuisine from the lunch room microwave.

“I was reprimanded and sent home that day,” he said. “I saw that copy editor hit start and walk away; that's when I made my move. What a ball hawk.”

There was one problem: there still was a minute to go in the cooking time so the would-be lunch was still partially frozen and the half-dieting Birdie chipped a tooth.

“The guy said I made a nice play on his grub,” Birdie said. “We hugged it out. We're cool now.

“What they don't know is that I took an extra pastry on free donut day. Now that was a nice turnover.”

Readers have been throwing shade at the Birdie for some of his picks, but he refuses to take a sack.

“Someone told me I should go work at Dairy Queen with Le'Veon Bell,” he said. “I got a little defensive over that. Come on, ref, throw the flag. I call targeting.”

Now, before he gets a stand-up act booked at The Palace, Week 4's picks:

Friday

Canon-McMillan (2-2, 1-1) at Norwin (2-2, 1-1)

Norwin gave up 27 points last week, which caught the Birdie off guard. He thinks the Knights will bounce back at home.

Norwin, 26-14

Hempfield (1-3, 0-2) at Peters Township (3-1, 1-1)

The Birdie watched last year's game film on this matchup and thinks Hempfield was robbed of a touchdown in the final seconds. But he doesn't expect it to be as close this time.

Peters Township, 22-12

Armstrong (2-2, 0-2) at Franklin Regional (2-1, 2-1)

Last week, injuries hammered Franklin Regional and Plum hammered the Panthers. The Birdie doesn't see back-to-back losses.

Franklin Regional, 20-16

Penn-Trafford (4-0, 2-0) at Latrobe (2-2, 1-1)

Latrobe has more wins this season that it had the last two years combined. But Penn-Trafford has the best defense the Birdie has seen in 5A.

Penn-Trafford, 35-7

Greensburg Salem (2-2, 2-1) at Belle Vernon (3-0, 3-0)

Belle Vernon struggled some with Ringgold last week, but the Leopards won't have as many issues with the Golden Lions, who haven't cashed in on opportunities.

Belle Vernon, 28-13

Derry (3-1, 2-1) vs. South Park (2-1, 2-0) at Baldwin

The Birdie expects a dandy between two Interstate frontrunners. But the Eagles are better defensively — “Which, if you've read this far, you know I like,” he said.

South Park, 22-19

Waynesburg (0-3, 0-3) at Yough (0-4, 0-1)

This is the week Yough puts it all together. “Finally scored some points last week,” Birdie said. “Now, the Cougars will finish the deal.”

Yough, 20-13

Beaver Falls (0-3) at Southmoreland (0-3)

Top programs like Woodland Hills and Beaver Falls are struggling, which gives teams like Southmoreland confidence. But the Scotties aren't quite there yet.

Beaver Falls, 18-6

Brownsville (1-3) at Mt. Pleasant (1-3)

Brownsville is giving up more than 45 points a game and Mt. Pleasant has been decent on defense. The Vikings avoid overtime this week.

Mt. Pleasant, 28-16

Charleroi (3-1) at Greensburg C.C. (1-3)

The Birdie thinks GCC can score against Charleroi, but it won't score enough in a nonconference loss.

Charleroi, 19-13

Monessen (1-3) at Clairton (3-0)

Old Eastern Conference foes get together in a nonconference game that still has plenty of meaning to both teams.

Clairton, 22-8

United (2-2, 2-2) at Ligonier Valley (4-0, 4-0)

Ligonier Valley has been a dominating force for some time. “They should play in the WPIAL,” Birdie said. “Machine-like with those highlights. Speed kills.”

Ligonier Valley, 46-6

Saturday

Jeannette (4-0, 2-0) at Imani Christian (3-1, 3-0)

While the Birdie thinks this game should be under the Friday night lights, he'll take the Jayhawks in a wild afternoon tilt ripe with penalties. “Imani is good, but they haven't met the Eastern's top dogs yet.”

Jeannette, 42-22

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield Area, Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland, Yough