Notes, thoughts and anecdotes after the second week of the high school football season.
I remember doing a story two years ago on the increase in scoring in area football. It looks like the story could run again this season.
Sure, only two weeks of the season is over, but have you noticed some of the offensive numbers so far? On Friday night, New Brighton and Beaver scored 113 points, which ties for the second-most in a WPIAL game. A City League quarterback, Ron Brown, threw for 468 yards Friday. So far this season, 12 teams in the WPIAL are averaging more than 45 points a game.
With spread offenses becoming more popular, it's not a real surprise that scoring is up again. Or are defenses that bad?
Moses appears at North Hills
A good student section can add a lot to a high school football - or basketball - game. Some of the student sections can make you laugh. Some can pump up their team. I love seeing a good student section. I wish everyone could see an Erie Cathedral Prep basketball game, because they have a one-of-a-kind student section.
But at Friday's Central Catholic-North Hills game I saw one of the best acts ever from a student section. Innovative. Funny. The North Hills students came out in full force and formed a "Red Sea," taking up an entire section of bleachers. And just before the opening kickoff, Moses showed up and parted the "Red Sea." The whole thing came off like these students had rehearsed this thing, but they didn't. Did it have any effect on the game? No, but it sure was entertaining.
Check it out:
{youtube}http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8mMBSl9Ef0{/youtube}
The running QB
Billy Kisner plays quarterback for Penn Hills. But he's really a running back at quarterback. And a good runner, at that.
Kisner has rushed for more than 200 yards in each of the first two games.
Elsewhere
**** After his team beat North Hills Friday, Central Catholic coach Terry Totten was asked where his team stands after two games. He acknowledged that this team has a lot of potential, but Totten said he would like to see his team's passing game be more effective.
Quarterback J.J. Cosentino has already committed to Florida State. He has nice size and a pretty strong arm. But is he really a QB of Florida State caliber? In two games, he is 4 of 11 for 43 yards. A year ago, he was only 43 of 98 for 552 yards.
True, Central Catholic hasn't passed much at all this season. But if the Vikings are to go on and win a WPIAL championship, they will probably need a much better passing attack when it comes to big games.
**** Woodland Hills is 0-2 so far. But I still say the Wolverines will be a factor come playoff time. George Novak has a history of having his teams improve greatly by the postseason.
**** West Shamokin 2-0? What gives? The team was riding a WPIAL record 46-game losing streak a year ago. Now, the Wolves are unbeaten after two weeks. Good for them.
**** I commend Geibel not wanting to throw in the towel on the season, even though the Gators forfeited this week's game because it had only 12 or 13 healthy players. If they started the season, they should try to finish. But to me, Geibel never should have started the season. The Gators had only 16 players at the start of preseason practice. Do you know how hard it is to make it through a season with only 16 players?
**** Pennsylvania’s reputation took a hit Saturday when St. Joseph’s Prep of Philadelphia was clobbered by Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey, 42-0. St. Joseph’s Prep has a strong program and was previously the Post-Gazette’s No. 3-ranked Class AAAA team in the state. Don Bosco is a perennial New Jersey power, but was coming off a down year.
**** Meanwhile, the reputation of Class AA football in Pennsylvania was boosted Saturday when Imhotep Charter defeated La Salle College, 40-28. Imhotep, a charter school, is the P-G’s No. 2-ranked team in the state. La Salle College, a perennial power in the Philadelphia Catholic League, was ranked No. 5 in Class AAAA.