We are a third of the way through the WPIAL season. With fewer teams in each conference, the teams in 6A, 3A, 2A, and 1A play fewer conference games. This means that some teams have played just one conference game so far and others have played all three of their games against conference opponents so far. The biggest surprise of last week was Highlands dropping a game to a winless Knoch team. McGuffey threw a wrench into the 3A Interstate Conference race by beating Mt Pleasant. Given the high variability in number of conference game played, the conference standings are still in flux and it is still to be determined which teams will separate themselves from the pack.

If you’re going to be following along at home tonight, keep an eye on the following hashtags on Twitter where people post score updates from games: #WPIAL #MSAscores #Skylights

Also, if you’re not already, follow the @MSAsports twitter account which will post score updates and bookmark the MSA Scoreboard for quick reference at the end of the night. They get the final scores up faster than anyone. Also, MSA Sports broadcasts most games over the internet, here is their list of the games they will be broadcasting tonight.

I’ll update my WPIAL Standings Page at the end of the night. It’s the only one available that includes all playoff tiebreakers (Gardner Points, WPIAL Points Tiebreaker and Head-to-Head wins). Since Class 3A and 1A have special rules for their Wild Card tiebreakers that count games outside of conference play, I also added pages to track the 3A Wild Card Standings and 1A Wild Card Standings. Class 2A also uses a Wild Card system, but only conference games count in the Wild Card standings, so no additional trackers were necessary as all the information would be the same as what appears on the regular Standings Page.

6A Game of the Week

Bethel Park at Pine-Richland

Technically, based on the WPIAL tiebreaking procedures, these two teams currently sit atop their respective conferences. Pine-Richland is one of just two 6A teams that have not lost to a WPIAL opponent this season. This is an intriguing matchup that pits Pine-Richland’s explosive offense that is averaging over 48 points per game against Bethel Park’s stout defense that is holding opponents under 14 points per game. Pine-Richland is led by one of the best juniors in the entire WPIAL, QB Phil Jurkovec who has thrown for 1227 yards and 9 TDs and rushed for 283 yards and 5 TDs. Running back Jordan Crawford stole the show last week and leads the team with 293 rushing yards and 255 receiving yards and has found the end zone 6 times. Receivers Ray Falcone (397 yards, 5 TDs) and JasonDefrancisis (230 yards) have been Jurkovec’s prime targets. Bethel Park’s offense is built around their ground game, led by Terron Murphy’s 520 yards and 2 TDs. If Bethel Park is going to keep up with Pine-Richland’s offensive onslaught, they are going to need a big game from their passing attack led by senior QB Cole Rogers (416 yards, 3 TDs) and senior WRs Zach Taylor (162 yards, 1 TD) and Jeremy Wodarek (113 yards, 1 TD).

Honorable Mentions: Central Catholic at Seneca Valley

5A Game of the Week

Franklin Regional at Armstrong

Another week, another chance to talk about Zane Dudek’s awesome season. The Armstrong Senior has rushed for a WPIAL-leading 1201 yards and 17 TDs. Dudek has averaged over 300 yards per game so far and would break Lamont Wade’s WPIAL single-season yardage record if he continues at this pace. Wade’s record of 2765 yards was set over 16 games in his sophomore year as Clairton went to the state championship game. Given that Dudek already has over 1200 yards in the books, he needs to average just 261 yards per game to break Wade’s 16-game mark by the end of the regular season. Dudek entered the season with over 4,000 career rushing yards and is now over 5,000 as he seeks to become just the 28th player in state history to break the 6,000 yard mark. Franklin Regional nearly beat McKeesport in Week 1 then lost to Kiski in Week 2 before rebounding to beat Plum last week. The Panthers need to get their season back on track if they’re going to make a run at the playoffs, but their offense is still sputtering, averaging just 16 points per game. Dual-threat Quarterback Simon Behr has thrown for 277 yards and 4 TDs and rushed for 177 yards and 1 TD. Tyrese Kohlman and Stephen Johns both have over 100 yards rushing on the season in Franklin Regional’s run-heavy offense. If McKeesport’s loaded defense could not slow down Dudek and Armstrong’s offense, Franklin Regional’s defense will absolutely be taxed.

Honorable Mention: Chartiers Valley at Woodland Hills

4A Game of the Week

Mars at Highlands

Of all the classifications, 4A is the most segmented between the teams at the top half and those at the bottom half. This week’s slate of games mostly features games between top half and bottom half teams, which should further segment the playoff race. This is one of the few games between teams in the middle of the pack and could have a big impact on the playoff race in the Northwest Nine. Mars rebounded after losing their opener to South Fayette to come back from 21 points down to beat Blackhawk and top Montour. The Fighting Planets once again feature a strong running game with Isaiah Johnson (490 yards, 6 TDs) and Garrett Reinke (381 yards, 4 TDs). They have been so effective on the ground, QB Noah Wright is averaging fewer than 10 pass attempts per game, and has thrown for 184 yards and 1 TD, mostly to Ben Perdiziola (143 yards, 1 TD). Highlands suffered a surprising defeat to Knoch last week and is looking to get back on the right track. The Golden Rams are led by Robert Morris-commit Brayden Thimons who has thrown for 206 yards and 2 TDs and rushed for a team-leading 150 yards and 1 TD. Thimons is also one of the top linebackers in 4A and will have his work cut out for him against Mars’ rushing attack. Running backs Dom Martinka and Jermaine Jett have been effective on the ground, both averaging over 12 yards per carry.

3A Game of the Week

Beaver at Keystone Oaks

Three weeks into the season, Beaver and Keystone Oaks are both 3-0 and sitting atop their respective conferences. Beaver is riding high after toppling Aliquippa in Week 2. Dual-threat QB Darius Wise has thrown for 233 yards and 2 TDs and rushed for 506 yards and 8 TDs. Beaver is a run-heavy team and deploys multiple backs in Te’Vonn Williams (111 yards) and Dante Anzevino (111 yards, 1 TD). Te’Vierre Williams leads the Bobcats in receiving with 78 yards and also has 86 yards rushing and is the only player other than Wise to reach the end zone twice. Wise, who has offers from a number of FBS schools, has also been the anchor of the Bobcats stout defense. On the other side, Keystone Oaks has been led by Duquesne-commit Alex Smith who has thrown for 794 yards and 8 TDs this season. While Beaver features a run-heavy offense, Keystone Oaks is all about the passing game. Smith’s main targets have been Nick Hrivnak (244 yards, 2 TDs), Dylan Knorr (238 yards, 3 TDs), Joe Tortorella (120 yards, 1 TD), and Michael Daure (109 yards, 3 TDs). Smith also leads the Golden Eagles in rushing with 191 yards and 1 TD but averages just 11 carries per game.

Honorable Mentions: Central Valley at Quaker Valley, South Park at Derry

2A Game of the Week

East Allegheny at Neshannock

In Class 2A, there are just two teams that have reached this point with a 3-0 record. East Allegheny lost a Week 0 game, which makes Steel Valley the only fully undefeated team in 3A (though the Ironmen did not play a Week 0 game). One of the reasons for the poorer records across 2A is that many teams have played non-conference games against either 3A teams. East Allegheny’s defense has been stout, allowing just 12 points in the last 3 weeks. On offense, the Wildcats have been led by QB Tamaine Underwood who has thrown for 341 yards and 4 TDs, primarily to TJ Banks (110 yards, 2 TDs). RB Davon McDougal has been a workhorse in the backfield and has 230 yards and 2 scores. Neshannock features an explosive offense led by dual-threat QB Frank Antuono who has thrown for 707 yards and 9 TDs and added 276 yards and 6 TDs on the ground. Daniel Welker (419 yards, 7 TDs) and Ty Sear (113 yards, 1 TD) have been his primary targets. Senior RB Sean Doran has rushed for 296 yards and 2 TDs.

Honorable Mentions: Brentwood at Avonworth, Burgettstown at Chartiers-Houston, Frazier at Washington

1A Game of the Week

Northgate at Sto-Rox

I was tempted to write about the non-conference game between Clairton and Monessen here, but after the 84-0 drubbing that Clairton laid on GCC last week I chose a different game. Clairton is going to be out for blood as the current senior class were freshmen when Monessen beat them in 2013 and this is their last meeting with the Greyhounds. In the Big 7 Conference, Rochester took control of the race for the conference title last week by beating Sto-Rox. This week, Northgate can put themselves on a crash course with Rochester by doing the same. The Flames have rolled over their opponents thanks to the tandem of Surron and Stefon Adams. Stefon, the senior QB, has thrown for 532 yards and 4 TDs while Surron, the junior RB, leads the team with 257 yards and 9 TDs. Senior WR Mike Allen has been the top target with 388 yards and 6 TDs. Sto-Rox also has an explosive passing game with Brady Doubt throwing for 871 yards and 7 TDs on the season. He has spread the ball around to Amir Austin (304 yards, 5 TDs), LaVaughn Hawkins (181 yards, 3 TDs), and Seth Alexander (173 yards, 1 TD). Davonte Williams has only averaged about 6 carries per game but leads the team with 121 rushing yards and has added 130 receiving yards and has scored twice.

Honorable Mentions: Clairton at Monessen, Imani at Jeannette