Scoop seeking perfection
One of these weeks I will be perfect.
Last week was not that week.
I did go 10-1 to raise my season record to 68-21 for a respectable .764 winning percentage.
My quest for a clean sweep continues this week.
Can I go 11-0? Let’s find out:
Central Catholic 40, Butler 7 — The Golden Tornado are beat up heading into this season-closing clash against undefeated Central Catholic.
No matter who is on the field, though, Butler will play hard and compete.
Seneca Valley 39, Fox Chapel 12 — Raiders’ quarterback T.J. Holl is the real deal. He can run. He can pass.
He’ll do a lot of both this week as Seneca Valley will close out the regular season with a W.
Highlands 23, Knoch 12 — The Knights are a gritty team and I can see them finding a way to win this one.
There is a lot on the line for the Rams, though, including a possible section title.
Mars 39, Hampton 12 — The Planets have proven all season that they are not just a one-man show.
Sure, Josh Schultheis is a beast, but Mars has plenty of other ways to beat you as Hampton will probably discover.
Karns City 42, Brookville 17 — Speaking of a closet-full of toys, the Gremlins have plenty of ways to strike.
And Karns City isn’t shy about bringing them all out to play.
Moniteau 29, Punxsutawney 20 — Suddenly, the Warriors are a team no one wants to play.
Give Moniteau coach Cecil Blauser credit. He took over late, watched his team lose some tough games early and found a way to keep the team together and has a few wins to show for it. He’s done a wonderful job.
Union 32, Keystone 16 — The Golden Knights will double up on Keystone.
Clarion 47, A-C Valley 6 — The Falcons are another gritty team. Clarion, though, is a powerhouse.
Slippery Rock 47, Oil City 19 — This is a game of differing styles. The Rockets like to run — a lot. Oil City likes to throw.
Slippery Rock, though, may be the best in the business at running the ball as its 3,509 yards on the ground can attest.
Sharon 23, Grove City 20 — These teams have identical records and this game will decide third place out of District 10, Region 3-AA.
This may very well be the best game of the week and is one of the hardest to predict.
Summit Academy 24, Freeport 10 — The Knights are in the playoffs for the first time in school history.
That’s a major achievement for a team that sees 99 percent of its roster turn over year after year.
Freeport has been — yes, you guessed it — gritty this season. Summit, though, will head into the postseason coming off a win.
Scoop is looking forward to the high school football playoffs.
