Drum roll please.

Yes, it's that time of year, high school football fans. No, it's not time to fire every coach in the WPIAL and the City League who had a losing record this season, although we are sure there are folks who would like to do that.

It's time for the Emmies, our annual awards for excellence selected by, well, um, me ... with a little help from my colleagues in the PG sports department. Hey, when you come up with awards with your name on them, then you can pick who want.

But before we get to the awards and our reason for selecting that coach or player, we have something for everyone to ponder.

Did anyone notice that the four championship games were all about running the football and playing outstanding defense. In three of the four finals, the team that had the most rushing yardage won and while West Allegheny didn't outrush Hopewell in winning the Class AAA title, the Indians threw just three passes in the contest.

At a time when more and more teams are going to a spread offense, it says something about old-school tactics still being the best.

OK, back to the business at hand -- Hey, it should be pointed out that we correctly predicted the outcome of three of the four WPIAL finals this past weekend -- and the categories and winners are:

• Best Coaching Job: There were a number of candidates for this one. Bob Ravenstahl guided North Catholic to the Class A Eastern Conference championships and the WPIAL semifinals. Veteran coach Jack McCurry had North Hills to the Class AAAA semifinals, knocking off highly touted McKeesport and rival North Allegheny along the way. And under the direction of Dave Havern Shady Side Academy tied for the Allegheny Conference title in Class AA.

The Emmie, however, goes to Hampton's Jacque DeMatteo, who had the Talbots peaking at the right time and guided them to a spot in the Class AAA semifinals against Hopewell. The fact he didn't lose his players' attention after a 1-2 start says a lot about his ability.

• Player Of The Year: This was a tough category. Mars running back Austin Miele rushed for 1,218 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. Hampton running back Andrew Bly rushed for more than 1,428 yards on 221 carries and scored 16 touchdowns. Shaler receiver Jesse Della Valle caught 33 passes for 729 yards, rushed for 248 yards and scored 25 touchdowns. And North Allegheny's Alex Papson rushed for 1,092 yards on 154 carries and scored 15 touchdowns.

The award goes to Shady Side Academy's Brian Nickel who rushed 209 times for 1,505 yards and scored 21 touchdowns. Defensively, he was outstanding with three interceptions -- he has an amazing 16 for his career -- and was one of the Indians' leading tacklers.

• Most underrated player: This one was easy. Pine-Richland receiver Tommy Berexa didn't get much attention in the Northern Six or anywhere else in the WPIAL because the Rams didn't make the playoffs. But he was the WPIAL's second-leading receiver during the regular season with 45 catches for 597 yards and five touchdowns. He did all that on a team that also had a 1,000-yard rusher in Justin Williams.

• Best Player in a Supporting Role: While North Hills didn't have anyone who was outstanding on offense, receiver Scott Zubik flew under just about everybody's radar. He caught 32 passes for 464 yards -- that's 15 yards a receptions -- and scored two touchdowns for the Indians. On defense, he made 34 tackles, four for losses, and intercepted a pass.

• Most Likely to Succeed in 2010: This is an easy one because this team is up for this award almost every year. Springdale, under venerable coach Chuck Wagner, tied for second place in the tough Class A Eastern Conference, with a lineup that featured almost nothing but underclassmen. The Dynamos were knocked off in the first round of the playoffs, but that postseason experience should serve them well next year.

• Biggest Surprise: This award goes to the Oliver Bears. Not much was expected of coach Tim Keefer's crew this season, but the Bears tied Schenley for the City League regular-season title and then lost to the Spartans, 34-32, in a thriller of a City League final. Oliver finished 8-2 and the two losses, both to Schenley, were by a combined eight points.

• Gutsiest Call: Another easy one. Rochester's Gene Matsook gets the award for going for the two-point conversion, and the win, in the Class A final against Clairton after scoring with 1:10 left. The Rams could have attempted the extra point and played for overtime, but with the ball a yard-and-a-half away from the end zone following a penalty, Matsook took a shot. Hey, if you can't get a yard-and-a-half in the biggest game of the year you don't deserve to win. But Matsook deserves an award for having the guts to give it a try.

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.