Three prominent players sustained injuries in WPIAL quarterfinal games Friday and their status for this week's semifinals is up in the air.

The injured players are Clairton's Manny Williams, Knoch's Tim McNerney and Jeannette's Mike Matt.

• Williams, a linebacker, is a Pitt recruit whose right knee was injured while running the ball against Rochester. Williams said he will see a doctor today.

"I couldn't really walk on it [Saturday] or move it at all," Williams said. "But it showed some progress [yesterday]."

• McNerney, a running back who has 1,750 yards rushing this season, suffered a strained tendon in his right foot in the first half of the Knights' game against Highlands.

"It's not broken and there is no ligament damage," Knoch coach Mike King said. "He's taking some anti-inflammatory medicine, trying to keep the swelling down. It will kind of be a day-to-day thing."

• Matt, a senior fullback/linebacker, sustained an ankle injury in the first half against Shady Side Academy.

"We don't know how bad it is yet," Jeannette coach Ray Reitz said. "He'll get an MRI and see what happens."

Matt has been a force on offense and defense for the Jayhawks and some Division I colleges are interested in him.

"He's a real good player," Reitz said. "The thing is, we've played without him before. Like against Seton-LaSalle [in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs], he didn't play after the second quarter because he hurt his shoulder."

High praise

Terry Smith has produced a number of Division I college players in his time at Gateway, but here is what he had to say about linebacker Dorian Bell, who is 6 feet 1, 215 pounds, after Friday's 32-20 victory against Upper St. Clair:

"He's phenomenal. He's truly big time. He's the best football player I've ever coached."

Zero tolerance

A team in Kansas has outscored opponents, 760-0, this season.

Smith Center, the three-time defending Class 2-1A state champion, is 13-0 and hasn't allowed a point. Smith Center is the team that scored 72 points in the first quarter of a recent game.

More cheating

It has been a season where some top programs around the country have been found cheating.

It has happened in California and to perennial national power Hoover, Ala. A few schools in the Philadelphia area also were levied penalties for using ineligible players.

Most recently, five teams in Prince Georges County, Md., including a defending state champion, have forfeited games for using ineligible players, two coaches have been suspended for a game and one for the season.

According to a story in the Washington Post, among the offenses were the recruiting of players and the use of false addresses to meet residential requirements.

One of the teams caught breaking rules was defending state champion Friendly High, which had won 22 consecutive games and was the No. 1-ranked team in the Washington area.