What to watch in Week 9 of high school football: Tiebreaker coin flip could be in play

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, October 26, 2017 | 7:15 PM

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In WPIAL football, the last-resort tiebreaker is a coin flip.

If head-to-head results, Gardner Points and the WPIAL's margin-of-victory formulas can't break a tie, chance becomes the final factor. There's a possibility the WPIAL might need a shiny quarter to sort out the Class A Eastern Conference.

If so, the tiebreaking coin flip would be the first in many years, said WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley. The coin flip hasn't been needed because the other tiebreaker formulas serve their purpose very well.

“They work,” O'Malley said. “As long as I can remember, and that's a long time, we've never had to resort to the coin toss. What's written there and what's been there for a long time, has been effective.”

The WPIAL used a coin flip in 2002 when Larry Hanley was executive director to break a second-place tie between Canon-McMillan and McKeesport. Head-to-head wasn't a tiebreaker at that time but was included in 2003, adding another layer.

Nowadays, it would take extreme circumstances before a coin is tossed.

In the Eastern Conference, Jeannette, Clairton and Imani Christian would tie for first place if Clairton defeats Jeannette on Friday and Imani defeats Leechburg on Saturday. The three teams would be tied head-to-head with 1-1 records and have the same number of Gardner Points. If Clairton and Imani each won this week by at least 10 points, they also would tie in the WPIAL's margin-of-victory formula.

All three are already qualified for the WPIAL playoffs, but a coin could be used to determine who's first, second and third. Only first and second place are guaranteed home playoff games in Class A, while only two of the three third-place teams open at home.

However, the flip could be avoided if all three Eastern teams already are guaranteed a home game based on the records of teams in other conferences.

And of course, No. 1-ranked Jeannette could simplify it all with a win.

Who will claim final nine playoff spots?

The WPIAL playoff field is almost set. Only nine of 64 spots remain unclaimed entering the final week of the regular season. The WPIAL pairings meeting is Monday in Green Tree.

The Class 6A and 5A brackets are full, and seven of eight in Class 4A are secured. Trinity can clinch the final 4A spot with a win over Ringgold or a Greensburg Salem win over Uniontown. Only the wild-card spots are unclaimed in Class 3A and 2A.

Class A has five open spots.

Class 5A might be trickiest to seed

With a win Friday, Penn-Trafford (9-0, 7-0) is guaranteed the top seed in Class 5A. Big East Conference rivals Gateway (8-1, 6-1) and McKeesport (6-2, 5-2) are arguably the next best teams in 5A, but only Gateway can host a home game.

Penn-Trafford visits McKeesport on Friday. Gateway visits Franklin Regional (6-2, 5-2). Regardless of Friday's outcomes, McKeesport and Franklin Regional must be seeded fifth or lower in the eight-team bracket and would open the playoffs at Upper St. Clair or West Allegheny, the top two teams in the Allegheny Nine.

A 42-14 loss to McKeesport in Week 7 could prevent Upper St. Clair (7-2, 7-0) from earning the No. 1 seed.

Wide receiver on record pace

Mt. Lebanon senior Aidan Cain needs six catches Friday to break the WPIAL regular-season receptions record set by Seton LaSalle's Carmen Connolly in 2004. Cain has 81 catches and 1,447 yards. He already owns the WPIAL regular-season record for receiving yardage.

A seven-win team could miss playoffs

The wild-card picture won't become clear until late Friday but Shady Side Academy (6-2) needs help to reach the Class 3A playoffs. The Indians, who have a nonconference game this week, need Keystone Oaks and Valley pull upsets in the Allegheny Conference.

For now, the wild-card edge goes to Beaver (7-2) and the third-place team from the Interstate Conference, either South Park or McGuffey.

Either Laurel (2-5) or Bentworth (2-5) will earn the Class 2A wild card. In Class A, the wild card will come from either the Eastern or Big Seven.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Clairton, Gateway, Imani Christian, Jeannette, McKeesport, Penn-Trafford, West Allegheny