Early HS football thoughts

As I was sitting among friends watching the Monessen- Serra Catholic football game Friday night, someone checking their cell phone said Belle Vernon Area was losing to then-winless McKeesport, 28-0 (the final ended up 28-7).

While a couple folks seemed surprised that the Leps were on the short side so dramatically, one of my friends said, “McKeesport is the best 0-3 team in the WPIAL.”

That could very well be true.

Looking at their schedule, the Tigers lost to three teams (Lake, Ohio, Peters Township and Thomas Jefferson) who are a combined 12-0. And two of those losses were in overtime. Something tells me the Tigers will be heard from in 4A again before the season is over.

Then I got to thinking if McKeesport was the best winless team in the WPIAL, who is the worst unbeaten team?

Could that be Monessen? True, the Greyhounds are off to a 4-0 start, with three of their wins coming in high-scoring fashion.

But a closer look shows the Greyhounds may have been a benefactor of a kind schedule maker. That’s because the teams Monessen has beaten (Charleroi, West Greene, Beth-Center and Serra Catholic) are a combined 1-11 on the season.

We should find out more about Monessen in the coming weeks as their next two opponents (Fort Cherry and South Side Beaver) have combined records of 7-0.

The 4-0 Rangers, who visit Memorial Stadium Friday, are the depending WPIAL 1A champs and have outscored their first four opponents by a 41-5 average margin and SSB (3-0) has done so at a 40-12 clip.

If the Greyhounds come out of those two games with even a split decision, that would be impressive.

• Speaking of unbeaten starts, here are two more to talk about as TJ and South Allegheny are both 4-0.

Winning is nothing new for the Jaguars, but SA coming out of the gate so hot has definitely opened some eyes about the Gladiators.

In the previous two seasons, SA posted consecutive 1-9 records and in the season before that the Gladiators were 4-7.

• A video made after Charleroi’s 48-8 loss to unbeaten Seton LaSalle Friday night has gone viral and has raised some eyebrows. It shows members of the Cougars and Rebels celebrating together in the dressing room after the game.

Several diehard Cougar fans displayed to me their disdain for the video and I must admit I have never seen two teams celebrating together after such a lopsided loss. I found it interesting, to say the least.

• At first glance, it appears that new Ringgold football coach Bean Heller is having a tough first season with a 1-3 record.

But looking further, it is easy to see that the Rams are making big strides behind their new coach.

Their most record loss was to Greensburg Salem, 7-0, Friday. Greensburg Salem is 4-0.

The combined records of the Rams’ four opponents thus far is 11-5 with 3-1 Southmoreland combing up Friday.

On the season, Ringgold is giving up an average of just 17 points per game.

I don’t think it will be too long before Heller has that program turning the corner.

• California shellacked Bentworth, 72-14, Friday in a Tri-County South Conference opener between the two 2-2 teams.

So far, the season has been feast or famine for the Trojans. In their two wins, Cal has outscored the opposition 134-40. In their two losses, they have been outscored 55-21.

If records mean anything, Cal could be adding to its lopsided win count as their next two opponents, Avella and Mapletown, are both 1-3 on the season.

• Revisiting Monessen vs. Serra: The game officials certainly had a long night as while I don’t know what the final count was I can’t recall watching a game with more penalties by both teams.

And I saw something I don’t think I have ever seen in over 45 years of covering high school sports.

The Eagles punted to Monessen and the Greyhound punt returner signaled for a fair catch. However he muffed the catch and the official inadvertently blew his whistle. The Greyhounds did manage to recover the loose ball.

As both teams had their respective offensive and defensive teams on the field for the next play, the officials sent them off and ordered a re-kick of the punt.

It was a long night all the way around for all involved.