The Birdie picks his own Walk of Fame before making Week 9 picks in A-K Valley

By: The Birdie
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | 8:00 PM

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Last week: 10-1

Season: 80-18 (81.6%)

The Birdie was reading a story in Tuesday’s paper about the first class of inductees into Pittsburgh Walk of Fame. He’s a big fan of Michael Keaton and Roberto Clemente and the rest, but he was annoyed by one of the criteria for induction.

“Their accomplishments must have had a national impact on America’s cultural heritage,” it read.

“National impact? Who cares what some jag in Cleveland or Baltimore thinks?” he squawked. “I want a walk of fame for people who are only famous in Western Pennsylvania.”

With that, he pulled out a napkin and a Sharpie and in minutes had the first draft for the first class of the Yinzer Walk of Fame complete.

• Donnie Iris

• Joe DeNardo

• Rick Sebak

• Edgar Snyder

• T.C. the stadium vendor

• Myron Cope

• The guy they interviewed on the news after a controlled burn of the Fuddrucker’s in the Waterfront sent ashes to his house in Squirrel Hill and he said, “We’re still No. 1 out here, all right.” You know who I’m talking about.

• The high school football ref who says “first dahn”

“Now that’s a list. How you like them apples, Nelly Bly?” the bird quipped, putting down his pen.

On the back of the napkin, he had scribbled his picks for the final week of the regular season. Here they are:

Freeport (7-2) at Imani Christian (9-0): Yellowjackets have a Week 9 game for the conference title. Can’t complain about that. And they have a puncher’s chance. The Saints are super talented, but eliminate penalties, turnovers and special teams mistakes and they’ll have a shot. Imani Christian, 33-28

Woodland Hills (7-2) at Kiski Area (4-5): The Cavaliers are in good shape to make the playoffs even with a loss, but showing they can hang with a tough team like the Wolverines would go a long way toward building confidence for a potentially tough first-round matchup. Free advice: don’t kick it to Scoop Smith. Woodland Hills, 27-20

Penn Hills (3-6) at Plum (4-5): Mustangs have a lot to play for. A 5-5 record and a win over a program like Penn Hills would be big-time building blocks. Penn Hills, 26-21

Knoch (0-9) at McKeesport (6-3): A tough way for the Knights to finish up. Tigers are dynamite. McKeesport, 35-6

Deer Lakes (2-7) at Burrell (3-6): An impressive win would help the Bucs’ already-strong case for a wild-card playoff bid. Their running game is capable of such a performance. The Lancers, of course, would love to play spoiler. Burrell, 20-14

Valley (0-9) at Highlands (6-3): The Golden Rams are in the odd position of rooting for Freeport so they can tie for the top spot in the conference. Either way, they can build playoff momentum with a good showing. Highlands, 41-14

Ligonier Valley (1-8) at Apollo-Ridge (6-3): How nice must it feel for the Vikings to not have to sweat out a playoff spot? They’ve just got to keep the ball rolling. Apollo-Ridge 34-6

Frazier (5-4) at Springdale (0-7): The Commodores are good role models for the Dynamos — from winless in 2021 to a playoff contender today. Frazier, 27-13

Leechburg (6-2) at Greensburg Central Catholic (4-5): Blue Devils have basically clinched second in the conference, but they could make a case for a better seed with an impressive showing. Leechburg, 34-20

Riverview (4-5) at Jeannette (6-3): A playoff berth remains elusive for the Raiders, but a .500 season is a goal worth fighting for. Jeannette, 30-20

Fox Chapel (2-7) at East Allegheny (2-7): You know what The Birdie’s rooting for? A Harran Zuriekat 60-some yarder. Fox Chapel, 15, East Allegheny 13

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, East Allegheny, Fox Chapel, Frazier, Freeport, Greensburg C.C., Highlands, Imani Christian, Jeannette, Kiski Area, Knoch, Leechburg, Ligonier Valley, McKeesport, Penn Hills, Plum, Riverview, Springdale, Valley, Woodland Hills