Are you ready for some football?
Welcome to the official blog on high school football for the 2013 season.
During the off-season let’s talk about players, recruiting news, teams and everything about high school football.
During the season each week let’s talk about match-ups and how teams did. Let us know what player(s) stood out each week.
2,248 Responses
@philips2222 someone on our forums posted this number: “The percentage of private schools in the PIAA is 18.45 percent.” That person is pretty knowledgeable and a trustworthy source.
Mr Curry was highly complimentary of Archbishop Wood in the clip I saw at WNEP.com. He’s a class act all the way. Never in my life has George Curry made an excuse or run away from a challenge.
They don’t make em like him any more. Curry, Roth, Pettine, Diminick…all cut from the same cloth.
trad31….I understand that reading something on the internet lends to self interpretation, that said, I never said they couldn’t compete. What I did say is, having seen CBW teams and having seen current teams…these teams are loaded top to bottom whereas those cbw teams had a good group of talent. I never make it a point to say “x” from the 90s would compete with “y” from now…it’s pointless and could never be proven. it’s like saying the 80s 49ers could compete with the current Patriots franchise. You’d never know because football has changed. Players have changed. Size, speed, knowledge, x’s and o’s..it all changes.
@kmac…….thanks man, I love talking high school football and for the most part this current debate has been excellent and well represented on all 13 sides. LOL! One more weekend, hard to believe! We’ll be releasing our Hershey previews Thursday, be sure to tune in!
@ footballmom…calm down…nobody here is criticizing your kids. not one. Some just have a problem with fairness of the rules of boundaries and I believe everyone has a right to an opinion and to be heard. We hear at EasternPAFootball try our best to present a forum for all. As long as a comment is not insulting we’ll give you fans a place for football talk, debate and camaraderie. Look for some exciting new changes to our site in the future. We’ll be posting a poll for suggestions and “wants” to improve our site.
@DanD….Felder was recruited???
and to everyone, thanks for all your support this year!!!!
I agree with David Mika. Let’s move on. We’ve spent the whole year arguing about everything and doing nothing. If it really means that much to anyone here, contact the PIAA or local representative or whoever, but it’s time to move on. Nothing will be done on this website or any other about it, and the state championships are here.
As a fan of football, I’m hoping for 4 good games. We’ll see what we get. But I’ll throw a few predictions out there:
AAAA
Pittsburgh Central Catholic – 42
St. Joseph’s Prep – 24
AAA
Bishop McDevitt – 33
Archbishop Wood – 27
AA
Imhotep Charter – 28
South Fayette – 19
A
North Catholic – 20
Old Forge – 18
Good luck to all the teams this week, and congratulations.
How many catholic and public schools are in pa?
Trad
That CBWest team was awesome. I watched them play several times that year. Their smash mouth power football was typical Mike Carey style. You knew it was coming and you still couldn’t stop it. Wood 11′ was very similar in makeup. Huge Offensive line littered with athletes. I have seen discussion on here as to who would win if they ever played.. Who cares? different eras….and two nationally ranked teams..I say it would be a tie:) But man, it would have been a great game.
WOW! You people on here are OBSESSED with Berwick and Philly recruiting. How about just enjoying the football. I hope none of you are Yankee, Dodger or Red Sox fans because what they do is basically the same thing but on a much larger scale!
@ Billy Splain you must have a short memory…”Why wouldn’t it be easy when you are running behind an offensive line that averages 270 pounds per man?-12/14/98 Philadelphia Inq. after C.B. West’s 56-7 state title win. A line which included Ben Carber 6’3 310 (University of Virginia) and Joe Wilson 6’3 285 with TB Dustin Piciotti running behind them who had over 1,900 yards and 41 tds who btw was 6’3 235. All 3 were Big School All State Offense. Throw in on defense Bryan Buckly 6’1 220 lb and Greg Genzel 5’9 195 Lb who were Big School All State Defense. To say they would not compete with Imhotep, Wood, Mcdevitt etc is just crazy
Amen to you David Mika!
@Reddawgs77
@Jiveturkey
It’s all good. It’s nice to know there is passion everywhere for football. Berwick would always get blamed for the same things that these schools now are going through. I’d be defending my local team or teams just as much. The truth is the kids are just doing what is best for them. In ’96 was Gus Felder recruited to Berwick. Who really knows. All I do know is he was a kid who unfortunately was probably not going to be going anywhere in life and because of his ability to play football ended up with a scholarship to Penn St. A degree from Penn St. and then I believe he is a teacher now. I know he was also coaching at Gratz in Philly. So I totally get what these kids are doing and I would send my boys to a school like that if I had the chance. Like I said I’m cheering for Wood so hopefully Berwick can come back next year and beat the best in the state plus they are an Eastern team. I said it on here a few times Curry has always been someone to help kids at other schools get into college and is always a gracious loser. It gives him the motivation to come back the next year and be that much better. So public/private who cares. Just play and have fun!!
David
Good post to put an end to this ridiculous back and forth. It really diminishes what Wood has accomplished and unfair to the players. And quite frankly, it was starting to diminish what Berwick has accomplished this year as well. They had a great season, but lost to a better team-plain and simple. It happened to Wood in 08, when they got pounded in the Finals but a far superior Thomas Jefferson team. I’m glad you put the comments from Coach Curry on here as the Berwick folks surely listen to him. He seems like he gets it. The Berwick football facebook page set up a separate link to discuss their loss to a “recruiting” school. Some of the comments posted on there are completely false. One said a kid transferred from a different state(Delaware).. Thanks for posting what you did and shutting down the other thread. Hopefully a good weekend of football at all classes is upon us.
@David Mika
Thank You!
@football Mom, thanks for the comment. This site has become a gripe forum that beats the proverbial horse to death. I’m tired of hearing about how many D1 prospects a school has or if school A shouldn’t be on the same field with school B. The vast majority of kids who play football do so for the competition and love of the game. I knew when the state playoffs started in 1988, people would downplay all other aspects of high school football, which is supposed to be an extension of the classroom, supplementing the education experience. Yes, it,s great to win a state title, and kids that do will remember it for the rest of their life. However, our preoccupation with being #1 shouldn’t allow us to forget the teams that get rewarded for making district playoffs, but don’t have the type of programs that resemble junior college programs in emphasis and results. And as an aside, if you throw out all the arguments for or against recruiting, it stands to reason the larger the population and/or the area to draw from, the better the talent
Slow clap for David! Very nice post!!! Everyone reel it in and stay classy!!!
I really don’t think any schools are really going out recruiting.
When Berwick, CB West, Mount Carmel and Southern Columbia were winning state championships everyone said they were recruiting.
It seems if you are winning you are recruiting, right?
Do you blame a kid to go to a school that is always on top?
I have to address something.
It seems that some adults on this site are acting like little kids. I was talking to George Curry this morning about the gentlemen who passed away on the sidelines and my thoughts go out to his family.
But, some bad fans are acting like spoiled brats and making it look like Berwick football program is whining about losing to Wood on this site and others.
Well I can tell you they aren’t and I talked to Mr. Curry he said good things about Wood and can’t wait to play them again one day.
So he wanted me to past on that a few bad apples are making their program look bad and that they players, coaches and school has nothing to do with it.
So, let’s talk about the state championship games and move on.
If you have an issue contact the PIAA not write about it on a social media site.
Looking at the comments from Lower Dauphin’s coach, it appears that they were beaten, at least mentally, before the game even started.
“We ran into a buzz saw today. That’s a quality football team. I’ve got to be honest with you, after the first play, just the hitting that went by, I knew it. We saw it on film. We knew how good they were.” – Falcons head coach Rob Klock
“They were a different monster. Unfortunately, every good thing has to come to an end unless you win it all. They had all the size, all the weapons. It’s hard to keep up with them coming out of Hummelstown. They were basically the Pittsburgh all-stars.” – Lower Dauphin lineman David Wuestner
@tsaf77, list the PCL players from De, Md and NJ other than SJP kids from NJ which is closer to the school than 90% of Philadelphia is.
Just the name and school name; thanks.
@billy splain, here’s my Christmas wish for you and don’t blow it off as impossible. It’s also a wish for those who join your tearful serenade.
I hope some educator hoping to make a quick buck (as in Philly) opens a charter school in your local school district. I hope they then hire a football coach with great ties to the community, to youth football and to 7 on 7 teams. I then hope kids in your school district, let’s say half of the athletes, decide they want to enroll and play for this coach. So, your local public team will be decimated but you can’t blame the kids, they’re just doing what is best for them. Crazy, huh? Oh, one last thing, even though these kids are just doing what is best for them, you have to hear people whine about their decision every single day.
Then, you’ll really have something to cry about.
@Tweak,
Let’s worry about the future in the future. What you call recruiting, others call open enrollment, it’s been going on for 30 years. I will take the 5th on what I call it.
@DanD,
To clarify what I said. I said the players from Berwick played with heart, and played their asses off. I didn’t diminish any thing those boys accomplished, they had a very good year. I agree with your post from top to bottom, aside from me somehow bashing the team. If more Berwick fans were like you, I doubt there ever would have been an issue.
@billy,
The open enrollment thing could turn into an issue, no doubt. However, it’s been around for 30 years, and it hasn’t been a problem. If it does become a problem, then hopefully a solution will be found. I just don’t think right now is the time to get excited. This year there are 5 Catholic and 3 Public, last year was 6 Pub 2 Cath, next year could be 4 and 4. I think it will work itself out.
Seriously these comments on this page are ridiculous!!!! A bunch of grown men whining about which school has the better team & its unfair that Catholic teams play public teams. Really???? Damn the kids just want to play ball and get into a good college. Man up and talk about football stats!!
We should all let this play out over a few years and then look at facts. Right now were only looking at a small sample of years so of course the public schools have more appearances. Though Wood has made it to the semifinals or better every year since they came in to the playoffs. If this continues then it may be a problem. Or they could just be on a streak. Berwick had that same streak from 88-97. Southern somehow has had that streak for 20 years. Mount Carmel in the 90’s. CB West for 10 years. Clairton the last 5. It all goes in circles. If we come back in 5-10 years and it is only catholic schools in finals every year then it may be a problem. As a Berwick fan I choose not care about whether these schools recruit or not. I hope that we just get bigger, stronger and faster and beat them. It will make it that much better if we do. I’m pretty sure we beat St. Ignatious(a far more superior team then any of these teams in ’98). Maybe next year or the year after we meet again and we win. They may be getting the kids now but who knows in a couple years. Being from Berwick I can tell you these kids will be competing and looking for a way out the town…lol Great for football and unfortunately not that much else anymore. On a side note Berwick does have a power plant with high paying jobs if any parents have kids 6’4″ 225…lol
@trad31 I saw a couple of those teams live. In no way are they as big and athletic as the Wood/Imhotep/Mcdevitt/Cathedral Prep teams. For comparison let’s also not forget CBW was a HUGE school district and should have had tons of talent because they drew from a huge area. How are those teams now that their district draw is much smaller due to the splits? Compare that to small catholic schools, how much talent should those schools have if they drew from the same sized area that the new Cbucks teams draw? Accordingly they should also be struggling but they aren’t.
My point is simple, the rules are unfair. My argument has nothing to do with Berwick losing. My concern is for teams all over the state.
@ Jive…I know that Imhotep is public, I also understand that there are many charter schools that struggle in sports. However, their focus may be different. My concern about charters is simple, the unfairness of rules of boundaries COULD turn into a huge issue.
@17th i think you hit the nail on the head.Coaching most of the school in the Lackawanna conference have a policy if you dont work for the school you cant be a head coach.That really shrinks the pool of candidates,plus most dont have a full time A.D
@Facts,
I made the same comment this afternoon about the charter/public school thing. Still awaiting moderation. Maybe that’s something that is a Philly only thing. I don’t know. I honestly have no clue why all of this debate is going on. The numbers lean towards the publics 3 fold, but Berwick lost to Wood, so there has to be something wrong with the system. I do understand why folks are trying to find an excuse, I just don’t understand why they would stand by it after seeing the facts. It is what it is! Everybody is certainly entitled to their opinion, even if we don’t agree. Hey, you going to Holy Family this week for Tep/Roman? If so, let’s meet up and make the formal introduction.
@ trad31,
You forgot to mention one thing about the CB West teams. They were constantly accused of the “R” word!…Hey wait they are a public school right?