It's time for some bonus football.

Knoch and Mars are in the WPIAL playoffs and both are on the road Friday night against high-caliber opponents.

Then again, that's what playoffs are all about. Only the strong survive.

Being an eagle, I know what that's like. I was almost extinct, but I survived.

As the calendar turns to November, it's time for high school football teams to fight to keep their seasons from becoming extinct.

Here's how I see this weekend's action:

Knoch at Thomas Jefferson, WPIAL Class AAA playoffs —

The Jaguars won the state title a year ago and allowed only 17 points all season before West Mifflin rained on their parade last week. That was like poking a roaring lion with a stick.

The person who did the poking may have gotten away, but you don't want to be the next guy that lion sees. The Knights are game and TJ is banged up, but the Jaguars are just too hot to handle.

THOMAS JEFFERSON, 39-16Mars vs. Burrell at Highlands, WPIAL Class AA playoffs —The regular season-ending loss at Mohawk will prove costly to the Planets. Instead of sharing a section title and playing at home this week, Mars has to face once-beaten Burrell on the road.The Planets can score a lot of different ways and they will prove a suitable opponent, but Burrell won't lose at home.

BURRELL, 24-17Clarion at Moniteau —The host Warriors are going to the playoffs regardless, but they don't want to go with a three-game losing streak. It's going to happen, though, as Clarion secures the 400th win in its football history.

CLARION, 20-9Karns City at Union —The Gremlins have a chance to win a share of the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference title with a roster of about 20 players. They're not going to do anything to mess that up.

KARNS CITY, 46-11Butler at Norwin —These teams met in a cross-over game at Butler last year with the Knights notching a 17-14 win. Both of these squads like to air it out and that means plenty of points. Look for the Golden Tornado to get revenge.

BUTLER, 35-26Seneca Valley at Fox Chapel —This game is being played tonight. Neither team is known for its defense and both will score points in this contest. The home field will be the difference.

FOX CHAPEL, 29-25Erie McDowell at Slippery Rock —Yes, the Rockets have reeled off four consecutive wins, but now they're hosting a Quad-A team — and a pretty good one at that.

ERIE McDOWELL, 19-7Shippensburg at Slippery Rock University —The Rock is pretty much out of the PSAC West race, but can still finish at .500 with wins the next two weeks. Like SRU, the Red Raiders are young, but The Rock is a little farther along.

SRU, 20-15Here are my other selections: Keystone over A-C Valley, 32-15; Grove City over Brookville, 23-15; Alfred over Grove City College, 14-13Last Week: 8-4Season: 77-31