District # 5/ 6 picture is getting clearer
Posted: October 27th, 2005, 11:01 am
Crunching numbers is a playoff pastime....
The Tribune-Democrat...
Week #9 of the regular season typically is a mathematician’s dream.
Power points. Wins. Losses. Complicated computations. Playoff berths.
What more is there for a high school football fan to ponder?
Several area schools on the district playoff bubble at least control their own destiny. Win, and you’re in.
Such is the case for a pair of District 6 Class A squads.
United ranks seventh with 820 points, and Conemaugh Valley is in the eighth and final playoff spot with 740.
Close behind in ninth and tied for 10th, respectively, are Bishop Guilfoyle (690 points), Ligonier Valley (600) and Moshannon Valley (600).
“That’s all that matters to us, if we win, we’re in,” said Conemaugh Valley coach Tom Marshall, whose 6-2 team visits 4-4 Berlin Friday and will try for the Blue Jays’ first playoff berth since 1996. “We’ve been telling them, ‘Boys, you just have to win a football game. That’s it.’
“Controlling your own destiny is the best situation to be in. If we win, we’re in. If we lose, we’re out. I tell the boys, ‘The last time we were in the playoffs, you were in the first grade.’ ”
Conemaugh Valley needs to beat Berlin on the road, which is not an easy task. Plus, the Mountaineers will be looking to secure a winning record. At stake for Valley is 140 rating points, enough to push the Jays to 880.
Most of the 6-A field is securely in the postseason with undefeated Bishop Carroll (1,230) in
front, followed by Portage (1,040), Bellwood-Antis (1,030), Blairsville (960), Southern Huntingdon (950) and Juniata Valley (910).
Portage hosts Windber in a battle of undefeated teams on Friday. Carroll meets Ebensburg rival Central Cambria. Bellwood, at 7-1, visits 5-3 Bishop Guilfoyle in another key game on Saturday night. Blairsville visits Homer-Center; Southern Huntingdon is at Tussey Mountain; Juniata Valley is at Mount Union on Friday; and Ligonier is at Laurel Valley on Saturday afternoon.
United coach Chris Matava knows that the final week of the season can be unpredictable. His 6-2 Lions host Saltsburg on Saturday.
“I’ve learned that you have to look at possibilities, but you really don’t know until the final week is done,” Matava said. “Last year we thought we were going to play Portage, but it didn’t work out that way.
“It’s fun for a lot of people to do that computing. I used to love to sit down and figure out every possible scenario. Now, I’m to the point I’m so busy I don’t have time to do that. Nothing is for certain. We’ve got to win. We can control that.”
In District 5-6 Class AA, seventh-ranked Westmont (650) and eighth-ranked Penn Cambria (620) hope to maintain their playoff spots while ninth-ranked Purchase Line is fighting to get in the mix. All three teams are 5-3.
“If all three of us win, Purchase Line is out,” said Penn Cambria coach Ernie Fetzer, whose team closes against visiting Richland on Friday. “If we lose, we’re out. If Westmont loses, they’re out. If both Westmont and Penn Cambria lose, we are out, Westmont is in, and Purchase Line is in if they win.”
Westmont travels to Central (2-6). Purchase Line hosts Northern Cambria (2-6).
Unbeaten Tyrone (1,180) leads 5-6 Class AA followed by once-beaten Forest Hills (910), Bishop McCort (820), Chestnut Ridge (810), Bedford (780) and Marion Center (710).
In 6-AAA, Greater Johnstown solidified its playoff hopes by defeating Central Cambria last week. The 4-4 Trojans are in the fourth and final playoff spot with 390 points.
Fifth-place Central Mountain (2-6) has 240 points and visits Jersey Shore (1-7) near Williamsport. The top three spots in 6-AAA are occupied by Bellefonte (7-1 record, 860 points), Huntingdon (6-2, 660) and Lewistown (4-4, 410).
Johnstown needs a win at Bedford on Friday to have a chance to catch Lewistown, which hosts 2-6 Indian Valley on Friday.
“If we win, and Lewistown wins, we’re tied,” Johnstown coach Bob Arcurio said. “Then they’d flip a coin. But Bedford is one of the best teams in the conference, so we have a tough task.
“I told the boys they can go out with a winning season. That’s a big thing. Bedford is one of the best teams in the conference. They have an outstanding line and the game will be determined on the line of scrimmage. We’ll have our hands full again.”
In District 5 Class A, six teams will advance to the postseason. Eight teams could have made the cut if each of the squads finished with at least a 4-5 record.
But none of the teams in the seventh through 10th spots have a chance to win four games overall.
Currently, Windber is first, followed by Rockwood (6-2), Northern Bedford (5-3), Berlin (4-4), Meyersdale (4-4) and Tussey Mountain (3-5).
The top two teams will earn a first-round bye. The third seed will play the sixth seed during Week 10, and the fourth and fifth seeds will play. In the semifinals, the No. 1 seed will play the 4-5 winner, and the No. 2 seed will meet the 3-6 winner.
"THE CHOPS".
The Tribune-Democrat...
Week #9 of the regular season typically is a mathematician’s dream.
Power points. Wins. Losses. Complicated computations. Playoff berths.
What more is there for a high school football fan to ponder?
Several area schools on the district playoff bubble at least control their own destiny. Win, and you’re in.
Such is the case for a pair of District 6 Class A squads.
United ranks seventh with 820 points, and Conemaugh Valley is in the eighth and final playoff spot with 740.
Close behind in ninth and tied for 10th, respectively, are Bishop Guilfoyle (690 points), Ligonier Valley (600) and Moshannon Valley (600).
“That’s all that matters to us, if we win, we’re in,” said Conemaugh Valley coach Tom Marshall, whose 6-2 team visits 4-4 Berlin Friday and will try for the Blue Jays’ first playoff berth since 1996. “We’ve been telling them, ‘Boys, you just have to win a football game. That’s it.’
“Controlling your own destiny is the best situation to be in. If we win, we’re in. If we lose, we’re out. I tell the boys, ‘The last time we were in the playoffs, you were in the first grade.’ ”
Conemaugh Valley needs to beat Berlin on the road, which is not an easy task. Plus, the Mountaineers will be looking to secure a winning record. At stake for Valley is 140 rating points, enough to push the Jays to 880.
Most of the 6-A field is securely in the postseason with undefeated Bishop Carroll (1,230) in
front, followed by Portage (1,040), Bellwood-Antis (1,030), Blairsville (960), Southern Huntingdon (950) and Juniata Valley (910).
Portage hosts Windber in a battle of undefeated teams on Friday. Carroll meets Ebensburg rival Central Cambria. Bellwood, at 7-1, visits 5-3 Bishop Guilfoyle in another key game on Saturday night. Blairsville visits Homer-Center; Southern Huntingdon is at Tussey Mountain; Juniata Valley is at Mount Union on Friday; and Ligonier is at Laurel Valley on Saturday afternoon.
United coach Chris Matava knows that the final week of the season can be unpredictable. His 6-2 Lions host Saltsburg on Saturday.
“I’ve learned that you have to look at possibilities, but you really don’t know until the final week is done,” Matava said. “Last year we thought we were going to play Portage, but it didn’t work out that way.
“It’s fun for a lot of people to do that computing. I used to love to sit down and figure out every possible scenario. Now, I’m to the point I’m so busy I don’t have time to do that. Nothing is for certain. We’ve got to win. We can control that.”
In District 5-6 Class AA, seventh-ranked Westmont (650) and eighth-ranked Penn Cambria (620) hope to maintain their playoff spots while ninth-ranked Purchase Line is fighting to get in the mix. All three teams are 5-3.
“If all three of us win, Purchase Line is out,” said Penn Cambria coach Ernie Fetzer, whose team closes against visiting Richland on Friday. “If we lose, we’re out. If Westmont loses, they’re out. If both Westmont and Penn Cambria lose, we are out, Westmont is in, and Purchase Line is in if they win.”
Westmont travels to Central (2-6). Purchase Line hosts Northern Cambria (2-6).
Unbeaten Tyrone (1,180) leads 5-6 Class AA followed by once-beaten Forest Hills (910), Bishop McCort (820), Chestnut Ridge (810), Bedford (780) and Marion Center (710).
In 6-AAA, Greater Johnstown solidified its playoff hopes by defeating Central Cambria last week. The 4-4 Trojans are in the fourth and final playoff spot with 390 points.
Fifth-place Central Mountain (2-6) has 240 points and visits Jersey Shore (1-7) near Williamsport. The top three spots in 6-AAA are occupied by Bellefonte (7-1 record, 860 points), Huntingdon (6-2, 660) and Lewistown (4-4, 410).
Johnstown needs a win at Bedford on Friday to have a chance to catch Lewistown, which hosts 2-6 Indian Valley on Friday.
“If we win, and Lewistown wins, we’re tied,” Johnstown coach Bob Arcurio said. “Then they’d flip a coin. But Bedford is one of the best teams in the conference, so we have a tough task.
“I told the boys they can go out with a winning season. That’s a big thing. Bedford is one of the best teams in the conference. They have an outstanding line and the game will be determined on the line of scrimmage. We’ll have our hands full again.”
In District 5 Class A, six teams will advance to the postseason. Eight teams could have made the cut if each of the squads finished with at least a 4-5 record.
But none of the teams in the seventh through 10th spots have a chance to win four games overall.
Currently, Windber is first, followed by Rockwood (6-2), Northern Bedford (5-3), Berlin (4-4), Meyersdale (4-4) and Tussey Mountain (3-5).
The top two teams will earn a first-round bye. The third seed will play the sixth seed during Week 10, and the fourth and fifth seeds will play. In the semifinals, the No. 1 seed will play the 4-5 winner, and the No. 2 seed will meet the 3-6 winner.
"THE CHOPS".