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McKeesport needs award-winning show
Friday, October 05, 2007
The red carpet lines the sidewalk in front of the Post-Gazette building. Guests and award winners will be arriving after the games tonight. It's time for The Fummies.

The Fummies are the half-year awards given out annually by The Fumbler, the Post-Gazette's famous high school football prognosticator. Winners are selected by a complicated system -- sifting through The Fumbler's brain.

Winners get O.J. Simpson statues and a Pirates highlights tape.

And the winners are:

Player of the Half Year: Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette. He had a gigantic reputation coming into the season and has lived up to it. He has 637 yards passing in five games and 438 yards rushing. Plus, he plays a little more than half the game because Jeannette is crushing everyone.

Coach of the Half Year: Lou Cerro, Montour. The Spartans were expected to be improved this season, but 5-0?

Biggest Surprise of the Half Year: It could be Montour, but we will go with Burgettstown. The Blue Devils won one game last year and in 2004. But they are 4-1 now.

Best comment: Jeannette coach Ray Reitz, on his team playing four games on television this season: "The exposure is great for our community and our school, and it gives some of our kids who are Division II and III college prospects a chance to get noticed. For me, I'm 51 years old. My only hope is maybe someone will see me and want to use me as a Hollywood stuntman. I could probably be a stuntman in a bar."

The Fumbler needs no stuntman. He does all his own work and had his best week of the season last week. He was 58-8 (.879 percentage), and his season record is 258-72 (.782 pct.).

McKeesport (4-1 overall, 1-0 in conference) at Bethel Park (4-1, 1-0), 7:30 p.m. today -- Bethel Park's Jeff Metheny deserves a "shout out" as one of the most underrated coaches in the WPIAL. His Black Hawks are ranked No. 5 in WPIAL Class AAAA and on a four-game winning streak. But McKeesport is No. 4. Winner: McKeesport.

Pine-Richland (4-1, 2-1) at Highlands (5-0, 2-0), 7:30 p.m. today -- Highlands is trying to go 6-0 for the first time since 1998. Highlands was 5-0 last year until losing to Pine-Richland in Week 6. Will history repeat itself? Winner: Pine-Richland.

Blackhawk (4-1, 2-0) at New Castle (4-1, 2-1), 7:30 p.m. today -- It has been a nice turnaround for New Castle after four consecutive sub-.500 seasons. But New Castle has not defeated a team this season with a winning record. Winner: Blackhawk.

Burgettstown (4-1, 4-1) at Steel Valley (5-0, 4-0), 7:30 p.m. today -- It has been a great start to the season for Burgettstown, but Steel Valley is the cream of the Class AA Century Conference crop. Winner: Steel Valley.

Aliquippa (4-1, 4-0) at Beaver (5-0, 4-0), 7:30 p.m. today -- Aliquippa is averaging 34 points a game and Beaver 31. That means turnovers will be the difference. Winner: Beaver.

Monessen (5-0, 2-0) at Jefferson-Morgan (4-1, 3-0), 7:30 p.m. today -- Monessen is ranked No. 5 in WPIAL Class A. The Fumbler smells a small upset. Winner: Jefferson-Morgan.

And now the rest (home team in capital letters):

This afternoon

CITY LEAGUE -- Allderdice over Schenley (Cupples Stadium).

Tonight

CITY LEAGUE -- Carrick over Langley (Cupples Stadium).

WPIAL CLASS AAAA -- (Big East Conference) PENN HILLS over Fox Chapel; Gateway over WOODLAND HILLS; PLUM over Kiski Area. (Foothills) PENN-TRAFFORD over Hempfield; Latrobe over CONNELLSVILLE. (Great Southern) MT. LEBANON over Baldwin; UPPER ST. CLAIR over Canon-McMillan. (Northern Five) North Allegheny over ERIE MCDOWELL; North Hills over SENECA VALLEY.

WPIAL CLASS AAA -- (Big Seven) Chartiers Valley over WEST MIFFLIN; THOMAS JEFFERSON over Peters Township; Trinity over ELIZABETH FORWARD. (Greater Allegheny) KNOCH over Franklin Regional; INDIANA over Hampton. (Keystone) Belle Vernon over ALBERT GALLATIN; Mount Pleasant over LAUREL HIGHLANDS; Ringgold over UNIONTOWN. (Parkway) MOON over Ambridge.

WPIAL CLASS AA -- (Allegheny) Ford City over BURRELL; Freeport over WEST SHAMOKIN; VALLEY over Kittanning. (Century) SETON-LASALLE over Charleroi; SOUTH FAYETTE over South Allegheny; South Park over CARLYNTON. (Interstate) East Allegheny over MCGUFFEY; GREENSBURG CENTRAL CATHOLIC over Southmoreland; JEANNETTE over Waynesburg; Yough over BROWNSVILLE. (Midwestern) NEW BRIGHTON over Center; STO-ROX over Ellwood City; BEAVER FALLS over Freedom. (Tri-County North) LAUREL over Mohawk; MARS over Union.

WPIAL CLASS A -- (Big Seven) Monaca over BISHOP CANEVIN; Rochester over AVONWORTH; South Side Beaver over NORTH CATHOLIC. (Black Hills) AVELLA over Bentworth; SERRA over Beth-Center; Chartiers-Houston over FRAZIER. (Eastern) CLAIRTON over Riverview; Springdale over APOLLO-RIDGE; Wilkinsburg over LEECHBURG. (Tri-County South) Carmichaels over MAPLETOWN.

NON-CONFERENCE -- BRENTWOOD over Washington; CUMBERLAND VALLEY over Perry; FORT CHERRY over West Greene; FARRELL over Deer Lakes; GREENSBURG SALEM over Derry; MONTOUR over Keystone Oaks; QUAKER VALLEY over Cornell.

Tomorrow afternoon

CITY LEAGUE -- Peabody over Westinghouse (Cupples Stadium).

WPIAL CLASS AAAA -- (Foothills) Central Catholic over NORWIN. (Northern Five) SHALER over Butler.

WPIAL CLASS AA -- (Allegheny) SHADY SIDE ACADEMY over Northgate. (Tri-County North) Riverside over SUMMIT ACADEMY.

WPIAL CLASS A -- (Tri-County South) California over GEIBEL.

Tomorrow night

WPIAL CLASS AA -- (Tri-County North) SHENANGO over Neshannock.

First published on October 5, 2007 at 12:00 am