With Week 0 in the rearview mirror, it’s time to focus now on Week 1 of the WPIAL High School football season. Barring any cancellations, every local team will be in action either this Friday or Saturday.
To keep you informed on the top matchups of the week, in conjunction with our partners, WPIAL Sportsmen, here are what we believe are the top 10 matchups of the weekend. In case you missed it earlier this week, we revealed our latest rankings for each classification along with the WPIAL Sportsmen Top 6 Performers of the Week.
TOP 10 GAMES OF THE WEEK AROUND THE WPIAL/CITY LEAGUE:
Aliquippa at Beaver Falls
-Beaver Falls is coming off of a loss to Blackhawk and will be looking to bounce back. Aliquippa had a below average performance against Penn Hills in their scrimmage. Despite that, this is two teams with a lot of talent.
Brashear at Erie McDowell
-Brashear got pounded in their opener against Pallotti, Maryland, 33-6. But, they’re a team with a lot of big-time players who have thoughts of winning the City League and does not want to start the season 0-2. However, it will be tough because Erie McDowell is a legit football team.
East Allegheny at Serra Catholic
-East Allegheny pounded a decimated Jeannette team and Serra Catholic had one of the most impressive Week 0 victories as they handled South Allegheny. This will be a good matchup.
North Allegheny at Pickerington, Ohio
-North Allegheny is in deep this week as they travel to Ohio to play against the #3 ranked team in the state. Pickerington, Ohio is loaded with talent all through their roster. The boys from Wexford will fight and represent the WPIAL well by playing a physical brand of disciplined football.
Penn Hills at Central Catholic
-Penn Hills is a high-flying team that wants to score 50 points per game and Central Catholic is a team that doesn’t want to give up 50 yards in a game. Classic game of elite offense meeting an elite defense.
Kirkland, Ohio at Westinghouse    **update This game has been cancelled because of COVID-19**
-Westinghouse passes the eye test and the film tells me they can play with anyone because they have size and speed. This is a major test for Westinghouse because Kirkland, Ohio is the real deal.
Peters Township at Canon Mac
-These border community games are beautiful to watch and these two communities have a real bitterness towards each other. Both teams are flying high after Week 0 wins and are looking to keep rolling. These are two evenly matchup teams and it should be a very entertaining game to watch.
Pine-Richland at Seneca Valley
-Both teams are coming off of Week 0 losses. Pine-Richland lost a back-and-forth tough game against Harrisburg, which is one of the best teams in the state. Seneca Valley is a team with a lot of talent and their expectations are to win, but lost to a talented Moon team. Seneca Valley will fight hard to prevent starting 0-2 and Pine-Richland has the same mindset. It will be a battle.
Thomas Jefferson at Gateway
-Two of the most dominant teams in the WPIAL square off for a classic must see extravaganza. Both teams have great coaching, elite players and great offensive and defensive schemes. These types of games come down to individual playmakers doing something big to propel their teams to victory.
Upper St. Clair at Mt. Lebanon
-Upper St. Clair is a storied program that is always going to have talent to compete with and beat any team. Mt. Lebanon under Bob Palko is now a dominant Elite 6-A team with elite players and real thoughts of competing for a WPIAL and PIAA title.
