The Birdie plays the name game, makes Week 3 A-K Valley football picks

By: The Birdie
Wednesday, September 15, 2021 | 5:01 PM

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Last week: 7-3 (70%)

Season: 23-7 (76.7%)

The Birdie has to admit something. There are a lot of WPIAL football mascots that scare the feathers right off of him.

Tigers, Lions, Panthers, Wildcats, Leopards, Jaguars, Bobcats, Bearcats and Cougars. Felines of any kind, really. And don’t forget Foxes. Gators, too.

“Ever seen what they feed gators in captivity?” the Birdie asked. “Whole chickens. Carnage.”

Rather than rail against schools with nicknames that frighten him, though, Birdie has taken another tack. He wants to commend schools with mascots he loves, making a list of his top five favorites.

5. “Burrell and Chartiers-Houston. The Buccaneers. Pirates have always been great friends to the avian community. They love parrots.”

4. “Mapletown. The Maples. No better place to take a nap than in the branches of a majestic maple.”

3. “Black Hawks, Eagles (Golden or otherwise), River Hawks, Jayhawks, Falcons. All royalty of the animal kingdom. Yellowjackets, too, while we’re at it. Close enough.”

2. “Big Macs. Canon-McMillan. Could go for some all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce and cheese right about now.”

1. “Commodores. Frazier. Birdie sure loves the smooth sounds of Lionel Richie’s vocals.”

Last week’s picks were anything but “Easy” for Birdie, who is ashamed of his three-loss showing. He’ll try to do better this time.

• Bishop Canevin (3-0) at Springdale (3-0): Not the teams that normally stage a battle of unbeatens for first place in the Class A Eastern Conference, but they’ve earned their spots. Says here the Dynamos stay unbeaten. Springdale, 30-10

• Greensburg Salem (2-1) at Knoch (1-2): These teams look like they’re both building momentum. Greensburg Salem’s newfound passing game is the difference. Greensburg Salem, 27-12

• Highlands (3-0) at Mars (0-3): Uncharacteristically, the Fightin’ Planets have been grounded this season. The Rams roll on. Highlands, 34-6

• Plum (0-3) at Indiana (2-1): Looking for their first win, the Mustangs run into a team that hung up a 70-spot on Derry last week. Indiana, 35-20

• Burrell (0-3) at East Allegheny (1-2): After a rough go in nonconference games, the Bucs probably are happy to get back to Allegheny Seven play. Not that it gets a ton easier. East Allegheny, 28-27

• Deer Lakes (0-3) at Derry (0-3): Two of the Lancers’ three losses were in one-score games. They’ll get into the win column this time. Deer Lakes 33-12

• North Catholic (3-0) at Valley (0-3): Trojans have looked great so far. A tough task for the Vikings. North Catholic, 34-6

• Leechburg (3-0) at Clairton (0-2): Did you know a group of bears is called a “sleuth?” The Blue Devils have laid the groundwork for an amazing season, and their offense is the real deal, but they’ve got an angry sleuth of bears in front of them. Clairton, 20-13

• Riverview (0-2) at Jeannette (0-3): This could be such a sweet victory for the Raiders, who have been on the losing end of lopsided scores against the Jayhawks for years. Riverview, 13-0

• Connellsville (0-3) at Kiski Area (3-0): The Cavaliers have some tests coming down the road, but they should pass this one. Kiski Area, 28-7

• Fox Chapel (1-2) at Franklin Regional (1-2): The Foxes are flying high after their first win, but the Panthers are better than their record indicates. Franklin Regional, 28-20

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Bishop Canevin, Burrell, Clairton, Connellsville, Deer Lakes, Derry Area, East Allegheny, Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional, Freeport, Greensburg Salem, Highlands, Indiana, Jeannette, Kiski Area, Knoch, Leechburg, Mars, North Catholic, Plum, Riverview, Springdale, Valley