Mike White's high school sports chat: 10.27.26
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Mike White
11:45
Tough call. They might be right on the edge. Eight teams make the 4A playoffs. Three conference champs get a home game and so does one other team. That would be the No. 4 seed. Char Valley might have a chance. It would probably come down to them and the third-place team from  the Parkway. This could change after Friday, but I might lean toward the Parkway third-place team.
Mr Ed
11:45
I guess Yough forfeited to Propel last week? I get these undermanned teams not wanting to play powerhouses but on other hand it’s a bad look when they then play the following week. Any thoughts on how to handle what appears to be happening with more frequency?
Mike White
11:46
I don't know if there is much you can do. I agree with you that it's not a good look when a team forfeits for lack of players and then plays again the next week. But I think Yough was down to 13 players last week and many of them were freshmen. It's hard to blame them for that forfeit.
RebelwithaCause
11:46
Mike- Why does the PG continue to rank Canevin ahead of Seton.....Seton is defending champ.
Mike White
11:48
First off, I don't do those rankings. I have some input. But not my final call. I would have put Seton No. 1 at the start of the season. But I will also say this. Seton being the defending champ whould have nothing to do with it. That's silly. It's not the same team. We're not playing in 2025.
RebelwithaCause
11:48
Didnt say you did, was asking your opinion.
Mike White
11:49
OK. Sorry didn't mean to jump you. But that would not be my ranking.
X
11:50
I did see Penn Trafford last week. They alternate Grabowski and Yacamelli out of the wildcat.   Both have good size and are very good.  Yacamelli is a little shiftier but Grabowski is a load.    Grabowski is the passer and he did it effectively.   They are a good team and I think have a very good chance against Pine Richland...especially if the it's a cold, wet, windy day where it takes the passing game away.  Penn Trafford is built for that kind of game.  What you said about Strader is true, but he's folded against McDevitt and Peters Township.  After 4 years as a qb, he still doesn't have a precision passing game.  That's not to say that he doesn't have a good arm, but he doesn't hit guys in the flow of the offense often.  And when the going gets tough, he reverts to endless scrambles and sandlot play.  He can play you into, or out of a game.  Your point last week is well taken, tho...they've been beating everyone by 30.   And they did it to a good North Hills defense last week. I haven't seen USC yet.
Mike White
11:53
Good stuff, X Man. Although I haven't seen Penn-Trafford, it's pretty much what I thought. This P-T team I hear is like so many of their others. John Ruane is one of best coaches in WPIAL (I don't know if people realize that) and the thing I always notice about his teams is how physical they play. And backs run so hard. Typical P-T team. Would be really interesting game vs. Pine. USC and P-T will get 2 and 3 seeds, provided USC beats West A. And it really doesn't matter which one is 2 and which one is 3.
RebelwithaCause
11:56
Thank you.  Appreciate this thread and insight.
Mike White
11:56
RebelwithaCause, are you any relation to Don Rebel?
11:59
Hey, did you hear about the WPIAL football player (who will remain nameless) who was on an airplane last Saturday after his game. You know what he said to the flight attendant? "Put me in coach." ..... Wooooo hoooooo. I'll be here all week. Tipe your waitresses.
X
12:00
It's going to be tough to beat a healthy Taylor and Strader on a dry night that isn't crazy windy.   Taylor in particular is just so tough to stop. Armstrong sent the opening kickoff very short and against the sideline. The kid who caught it turned and laterally to Taylor who ran up the same sideline past everyone for a score. I'm not sure anyone else in the WPIAL could've done that...and he has a play or two like that every game.      Not sure about Crampa...I'm thinking chances are he's been 100%.  Crazy to think he gets 95 yards or something in 6 carries.
Mike White
12:00
Agree wholeheartedly on Pine things. Taylor is a special player. Opponents have to hold their breath any time he touches the ball or they throw a pass his way.
12:03
Well, that does it for today. Wait I hear half of my wife's Gobblerito last night from Mad Mex calling my name from the fridge. And Don Rebel from the Trib is coming over, too, to get some meatloaf he for some reason loves. ..... Thanks, everyone. Good stuff. We'll talk again next Tuesday at 11.
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