The Birdie gives props to Jeannette’s last men standing, makes semifinal pick

By: The Birdie
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Last week: 3-0 (100%)

Season: 101-34 (74.8%)

And then there was one.

The Birdie is good at predicting high school football, but if you’d have asked him in the summer which Westmoreland County team would be the last one standing, he would not have said Jeannette.

But give the gridiron sage some credit: He did think the Jayhawks could be dangerous.

“I called for seven wins, and I said their big plays would continue,” Birdie said, pointing to a preseason tabloid and getting ink on his finger. “I also said the Jayhawks would improve on last year’s playoff season.

“I got all of that right, but I stopped short of calling them a semifinal team. Jeannette surprised me, and I am not afraid to admit it. The program is only four wins shy of tying Aliquippa for the most wins in WPIAL history. That shows you the Jayhawks are back.”

The Birdie was having playoff flashbacks to Jeannette’s recent championship seasons when he checked out the quarterfinal last week against Greensburg Central Catholic at Norwin.

“That crowd was large and in charge,” he said. “Jayhawk fans travel like Steelers Nation. Norwin rarely has that many fans on the far side of the stadium, but it was a sea of red Friday night.

“Most Jeannette people have these things in common: red-and-blue recycling buckets, green garbage bags, animus for GCC and their love of Jayhawk football. Maybe the rivalry is stronger than I thought. I can’t wait for next year when they meet again.”

While Jeannette-GCC was a fairly close game, the Birdie thinks this week will be different as the Jayhawks run into a much stronger team.

“That’s how sports go sometimes,” he said. “Maybe Jeannette will keep the surprises coming, but an upset this week would be Neshannock and GCC times 100.”

Jeannette (9-3) vs. Fort Cherry (12-0): The difference here will be experience. The Rangers won the WPIAL title last year and have a lot of key players back. Jeannette only has two seniors and no player on the team has ever made it this far in the postseason.

Jeannette will have to work for yards, and the big plays will be harder to come by.

Fort Cherry’s line play and ball control will keep the Jayhawks defense busy and wear them down.

The Jayhawks’ best chance is to beat the Rangers at their own game and avoid turnovers completely.

Fort Cherry 42, Jeannette 20

Tags: Fort Cherry, Jeannette