The Birdie lights it up with his Week 5 Westmoreland County picks

By: The Birdie
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 | 7:44 PM

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Last week: 11-4 (73%)

Season: 45-18 (71%)

Neighbors reported “bright flashing lights” coming from a third-floor window of the newspaper building Friday night, but authorities said it was “not a distress signal.”

That was a news brief The Birdie read to Mrs. Birdie at breakfast this week. He had a chuckle as he crunched on his Fruit Loops.

“Yeah, the fuzz comes knocking at the door and asked if I was all right,” Birdie said. “I said, ‘Sure, I’m fine. Just enjoying some pigskin and firing up my new lights.’ ”

The Birdie ordered stadium LED lights, similar to what Norwin, Penn-Trafford and Yough have this season, and he learned how to use the app to make the lights flash.

It’s a long story how he got the light standards into the office. That’s for another day.

“They are doing the blinkers when teams score tuddies,” Birdie said. “It’s a wild ride when the lights go off. Reminds me of my disco days.”

He did a “Saturday Night Fever” pose on the kitchen table, knocking over the Fruit Loops box and Mrs. Birdie’s potato frittata.

“I flashed the lights when my teams won,” he said. “The part-timers had to put sunglasses on. The editors asked me to close my office door. Party poopers. I can turn these lights on and off from my celly. I’m gonna mess with the IT guys when they’re installing the new software update. Tee hee hee.”

The Birdie, Westmoreland County’s prep football papa, won 11 of 15 games last week to bounce back from an unsavory 7-7 performance.

“Light ’em up,” he said.

Before this column goes dark, here are the Birdie’s Week 5 predictions:

Hempfield (1-4, 0-2) at Canon-McMillan (2-3, 1-0): Hempfield’s passing attack is good enough to lead the Spartans to a win, but the Big Macs are well-prepared having seen South Fayette and Armstrong this season. Canon-McMillan, 17-7

Kiski Area (1-4, 0-2) at Franklin Regional (4-1, 2-0): This game could be closer than some expect, but Franklin Regional will get the lead early and then grind the clock. Franklin Regional, 30-10

Woodland Hills (3-2, 1-0) at Latrobe (4-1, 1-1): Another pad-cracking affair in the Class 5A Big East is going to test Latrobe greatly. The Wildcats have to sustain drives and take care of the ball. Woodland Hills, 18-13

Belle Vernon (1-2) at Thomas Jefferson (5-0): One of the better rivalries in Class 4A for a long time, these teams revel in dislike for each other but respect a job well done. Thomas Jefferson, 33-20

Derry (3-2) at Southmoreland (4-1): Southmoreland has been champing at the bit for the chance to rev up this offense in conference play. Southmoreland, 40-14

Greensburg Salem (4-1) at Elizabeth Forward (2-3): Elizabeth Forward is going to present some different challenges for the Golden Lions, the likes of which they have not seen in the first five games. Elizabeth Forward, 27-17

Mt. Pleasant (2-3) at Yough (2-3): The Birdie appreciates strong play from the lines, and he thinks Mt. Pleasant will wear down Yough’s front on the way to a win on the mountain. Mt. Pleasant, 26-14

South Allegheny (4-1, 1-1) at Ligonier Valley (2-3, 1-1): South Allegheny can score in bunches, but so can the Rams. The Gladiators will do more of it. South Allegheny, 38-20

Monessen (4-1) at South Side (4-0): Black Hills vs. Big Seven. This will be like a playoff game in Greene Township, but the hosts will play better defense. South Side, 22-18

North Hills (4-1) at Norwin (2-3): Norwin will make the lights flash, but North Hills will show how good it is at slowing down the run. North Hills, 24-14

Plum (1-4) at Penn-Trafford (3-2): Look for Penn-Trafford to control the line of scrimmage, force turnovers and run the ball effectively in its fourth home game of the season. Penn-Trafford, 27-14

Riverview (1-1, 0-0) Greensburg Central Catholic (2-2, 1-1): The Centurions should get going offensively after a slow start. GCC, 24-15

Jeannette (4-1, 1-1) vs. Clairton (5-0, 2-0) at Thomas Jefferson: Jeannette can’t afford to fall into an early hole against the Bears. Clairton can score quickly and tends to make teams chase. Clairton, 49-14

Tags: Belle Vernon, Canon-McMillan, Clairton, Derry Area, Elizabeth Forward, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, North Hills, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, South Allegheny, South Side, Southmoreland, Thomas Jefferson, Woodland Hills, Yough