You might have heard that Monday night was a special one for Big Ben.
And no, it had nothing to do with former Yough star Ben McCauley.
The Steelers’ Big Ben played in what was likely his last home game, prompting two of his biggest fans, The Dribbler and The Fumbler, to make the long journey from the Post-Gazette offices to Heinz Field in order to see it in person.
The Dribbler regards the guy who wears the black and gold jersey with the No. 7 on it as his favorite Ben of all time, even ahead of guys like Ben Affleck, Ben Wallace and Uncle Ben. Speaking of rice, the Dribbler once considered going to school at Rice, but decided against it. He’s more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy.
Did you know that Big Ben and The Dribbler once spoke on the phone? It came while The Dribbler was in a remote area and seemingly wouldn’t be able to receive any calls. But Ben came through, wishing The Dribbler a happy birthday. While on the phone, the reception was immaculate. Franco Harris and Frenchy Fuqua had nothing to do with it, either.
If this is truly it for Large Benjamin, The Dribbler wishes him the best in retirement. The big guy had a heck of a career. Hey, what are terminators called when they retire? Exterminators.
After going 6-2 last week, The Dribbler is now 15-9 for the season.
Here are his thoughts on this week’s top games:
Boys
North Hills at North Allegheny, 7:30 p.m. Friday — The Dribbler was hoping this would be a showdown of undefeated teams, but that went by the wayside when North Allegheny fell to Butler on Tuesday. It’s still an excellent matchup. North Hills has won all but one of its games by at least 20 points, while North Allegheny has survived a couple of thrillers. At this point, North Hills is the better team. Royce Parham and Alex Smith will once again shine. Winner: North Hills.
Quaker Valley at Montour, 7:30 p.m. Friday — This begins what will be a challenging 24 hours for Montour, which plays unbeaten Quaker Valley on Friday night before traveling to undefeated North Hills on Saturday afternoon. Of course, Montour has yet to lose, either. The Spartans had Quaker Valley’s number last season, dealing the Quakers two defeats by a total of four points. The Quakers passed their test against Lincoln Park. They’ll do the same here. Winner: Quaker Valley.
Carlynton at Sto-Rox, 7:30 p.m. Friday — Steel Curtain. Purple People Eaters. The ‘85 Bears. All legendary defenses. Carlynton is doing its best to join them. After owning the top scoring defense in Class 2A last season, the Cougars now boast the stingiest defense in the WPIAL. Entering the week, the Cougars had given up only 31.3 points a game. That has helped them to a perfect start, while Sto-Rox has lost just once. The Dribbler has a feeling … Winner: Sto-Rox.
Upper St. Clair at Bethel Park, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday — Why did the sled dog puppy shop at the Big & Tall store? Because he was a little husky. Both of these teams have big talent and feature a tall inside presence. Upper St. Clair has 6-5 Porter Rauch and Bethel Park features 6-7 Dolan Waldo. Where’s Waldo? Upper St. Clair defenders will undoubtedly need to know the answer to that at all times. If not, it could be a long day for the Panthers. They’ll figure it out. Winner: Upper St. Clair.
Girls
Moon at Oakland Catholic, 7:30 p.m. Thursday — How good is Oakland Catholic? We’ll find out a lot about the Eagles this week. After playing at Class 5A top-ranked Chartiers Valley on Monday, they host No. 2 Moon on Thursday. Those two teams entered the week a combined 16-1. The Eagles lost to Chartiers Valley by 24, but they’ll get another chance to make a statement here. They are good, but Chartiers Valley and Moon look like they’re the top dawgs in this section. Winner: Moon.
Norwin at Upper St. Clair, 1:30 p.m. Saturday — Class 6A No. 1 Upper St. Clair has been pushed a few times. South Fayette played the Panthers close, and Southmoreland lost to them by only two. Will Norwin be the first to knock the Panthers down? Entering the week, USC had the No. 1 scoring offense in Class 6A, while Norwin had the No. 1 scoring defense. USC beat Norwin, 33-31, in last season’s WPIAL semifinals. In a close one … Winner: Upper St. Clair.
Knoch at Highlands, 7:30 p.m. Monday — No knock-knock jokes today. Instead … Why should you always knock on the refrigerator before opening it? Because there could be a salad dressing. One of The Dribbler’s favorite matchups came last week when Knoch played Yough. Knoch won by 30. Now the Knights get Highlands in a battle of teams that might be the class of Class 4A Section 1. Knoch’s Maddie Boyer has been outstanding. Winner: Knoch.
Southmoreland at Elizabeth Forward, 7:30 p.m. Monday — There’s a Southmoreland School District, a Westmoreland County, and apparently a Northmoreland Park in Westmoreland County. But what about Eastmoreland? Google tells The Dribbler there’s a neighborhood by that name in Portland. Too far away for his liking. He does like what he sees in Southmoreland, which has lost only two section games since the start of the 2019-20 season. Winner: Southmoreland.
First Published: January 6, 2022, 11:15 a.m.
