The Fumbler took notice of the Pirates hiring a new manager this week because it brought back memories for the Post-Gazette's fearless high school football prognosticator.

The Fumbler always yearned to be a coach and, in the 1980s, applied for the head coaching job at the old Turkeyfoot Valley High School in Confluence, Pa. He always was intrigued about what it would be like to coach at a place called Turkeyfoot.

He received a phone interview with the principal and athletic director. It went like this:

They asked The Fumbler what offense he would run at Turkeyfoot. He answered "the wishbone."

They asked his defensive philosophy. He said, "To knock the stuffing out of people."

They asked his goals. He said, "To get to the playoffs. But that would be gravy."

Finally, the athletic director asked if The Fumbler even knew where Turkeyfoot was located. "Sure," The Fumbler said. "It's right next to the turkey leg."

Needless to say, The Fumbler wasn't brought in for a second interview. But everyone should want The Fumbler back for a second week of playoff prognosticating. He was an impressive 28-4 (.875 percentage) in WPIAL playoff games last week and also correctly picked one big City League game. That made his season record 496-121 (.799 pct.).

Here are his thoughts on this weekend's WPIAL and City League playoff games. All games at 7:30 p.m. today, unless noted otherwise:

Class AAAA

Central Catholic (10-0) vs. Bethel Park (7-3) Wolvarena, Turtle Creek -- Bethel Park is good enough to make this a game for a while, but not good enough to knock off the No. 1 team in the state. Winner: Central Catholic.

McKeesport (9-1) vs. Norwin (7-3) at West Mifflin -- If Norwin's cornerbacks and outside linebackers are good enough, the Knights can win and make the semifinals for the first time since 1999 and only the second time in school history. The Fumbler smells an upset. Winner: Norwin.

North Allegheny (10-0) vs. Penn Hills (6-4) at North Hills -- Penn Hills' running game has showed promise the past two weeks. But the pressure in this game is on Penn Hills' defense against the run. Winner: North Allegheny.

Gateway (9-1) vs. Upper St. Clair (7-3) at North Allegheny -- Here's a message for Upper St. Clair that some teams didn't get this year. DON'T KICK THE BALL TO GATEWAY'S CAM SADDLER!!!! But even if Saddler doesn't get kickoffs or punts, Gateway has an offense that has scored 35 points or more in seven of the past eight games. Winner: Gateway.

Class AAA

Thomas Jefferson (10-0) vs. West Allegheny (6-4) at Elizabeth Forward -- West Allegheny gave Thomas Jefferson a battle earlier this season before losing, 18-13. Zach DeCicco looks like a capable replacement for Tyler Wehner, TJ's suspended quarterback. That means a 10th consecutive semifinal appearance for the Jaguars. Winner: Thomas Jefferson.

Pine-Richland (9-1) vs. Chartiers Valley (8-2) at Moon -- This is one of the best quarterfinal matchups, regardless of classification. It's a good matchup of Pine-Richland's strong running game against Chartiers Valley's staunch defense. Winner: Pine-Richland.

Montour (10-0) vs. Trinity (7-3) at Canon-McMillan -- The Fumbler says Trinity is good enough to pull the upset. Keep Montour running back Christian Wilson below 125 yards and Trinity wins. Winner: Montour.

Knoch (8-2) vs. Highlands (8-2) at Fox Chapel, 7 p.m. today -- These two teams meet for the second time in the past three weeks. Knoch won the first one, 41-13, but this will be a lot closer. The Knights will make the semifinals for the first time since 1992. Winner: Knoch.

Class AA

Jeannette (10-0) vs. Shady Side Academy (9-1) at Penn-Trafford -- Shady Side Academy rented lights for its first-round playoff game. This time, Shady Side must worry about getting lit up by Jeannette's offense. Winner: Jeannette.

Aliquippa (8-2) vs. Mars (9-1) at Ambridge -- Even if Mars standout running back Bill Bair has a big game, The Fumbler has a hard time seeing Mars' defense standing up to Aliquippa's offense. Winner: Aliquippa.

Ford City (10-0) vs. Riverside (9-1) at Deer Lakes -- Riverside surprised some by knocking off Beaver in the first round. Riverside won, despite getting only 74 yards from standout running back Jake Wickline. The Panthers will need a bigger game from Wickline to knock off Ford City. Winner: Ford City.

Steel Valley (10-0) vs. Beaver Falls (9-1) at South Fayette -- It has been a perfect season for Steel Valley, but The Fumbler suspects it won't have a perfect ending. Winner: Beaver Falls.

Class A

Clairton (9-1) vs. Rochester (7-3) at Peters Township -- This is a rematch of the WPIAL title game last year, which Clairton won. Rochester isn't as good as last year, and Clairton is even better. Winner: Clairton.

Western Beaver (9-1) vs. Springdale (9-1) at Center -- Western Beaver's Shane Waida rushed for 295 yards against California last week. In the playoffs, a standout running back means a lot. Winner: Western Beaver.

Serra (10-0) vs. Apollo-Ridge (6-4) at Yough -- Apollo-Ridge got to celebrate the first playoff win in school history last week. This week, the bus ride home won't be as much fun as it was last week. Winner: Serra.

Monessen (10-0) vs. Monaca (8-2) at Ringgold -- Looking ahead, The Fumbler sees an intriguing semifinal between Serra and Monessen. Winner: Monessen.

City League

Carrick (5-5) vs. Brashear (10-0), 7 p.m. today, Cupples Stadium -- This City League semifinal is Carrick's first playoff game since 1987. But Brashear is on its way to its first City title since 1988. Winner: Brashear.