Mike White: I mentioned in a Tweet last Friday that it seemed every Friday this year had great weather. And it seems like every Tuesday that we do this chat has great weather. If you're with me knock on wood - because I probably just jinxed it. Watch, it will rain four of the next five Fridays.
Mike White: Let's get started. Fire away with your questions.

Ballerz: What game are you heading to this week? Not many great matchups in my opinion...
Mike White: Sorry Ballerz but have to disagree. Number of good matchups this week. I'm going to Thomas Jefferson at Central Valley. It's non-conference but is really interesting. Two undefeated teams. TJ is 4A and Central Valley 3A, but I'm telling you Central Valley is good. Athleticism, experienced. Don't be surprised if it's a game. And then you have Knoch at South Fayette, although Knoch loss last week took some shine off that game. New Brighton at Freedom is really good. Elizabeth Forward at North Catholic. Charleroi at Southmoreland. California at West Greene, too. What will Ben Jackson do against this team?

Ballerz: I know you were at the P-R vs CC game. What was the story there? I was surprised by the score mainly because I didn't think CC would score 29. I know they have a great O-Line and D-Line but I would have expected a closer game. Any insight?
Mike White: Not surprised Central won. In fact, I predicted it on our This Week In High School Sports show on Post-Gazette web site. But surprised how easily they won. Difference in game was lines. And I was really impressed by Elliot Donald of Central. We knew he was good and he proved it. Big timer. Pine-Richland couldn't throw, either. They need to throw. Penalties killed Pine. 13 of them.

Ballerz: What is your favorite WPIAL stadium to watch a game in (considering press box, stadium seats, atmosphere of the crowd, etc)?
Mike White: Funny you ask. We have a big story in Friday's Varsity Xtra print edition about best stadiums in WPIAL and City. It will also be on our web site. We invited every coach in WPIAL to pick the top three stadiums. About 65 coaches voted. I won't reveal the top 10 now. You'll have to wait. But a panel of so-called "experts" also voted for a top 10. Current, retired sports writers, longtime radio announcers, retired coaches on panel. Check it out later this week.

SheforcedBobout: Do you know when they will be voting on the Bill to separate Public and Private schools? Thanks
Mike White: Have heard nothing about it. Aaron Bernstine had said he hoped one vote would be before summer recess. Haven't heard another thing from him or anyone else. Just hearing reactions from regular people, coaches I talked to, athletic directors, I don't think the thing has a lot of support.

Guest: Will penn trafford win it all in 5a
Mike White: They might. But 5A is really good. Best class in WPIAL as far as depth of quality teams. Coach John Ruane said he hopes maybe their top two RBs will be back later in season. Knee injuries. I guess what I'm saying is Penn-Trafford is one of the favorites, but few other teams gotta look at in 5A also.

Dan: Who you like this Friday between Charleroi vs Southmoreland
Mike White: Scotties bounce back from McGuffey loss. Gotta fix up defense.

Windians: Does Shady Side have to forfeit again this week?
Mike White: I don't know. Originally, they had planned to play.

Scott M: Have you seen Moon? Turning it around or lesser competition? Thoughts on Jamal Littlejohn?
Mike White: Have not seen Moon. Yes, they've turned it around. They were 2-8 last year for goodness sake. Now they're 4-2. How can you say it was lesser competition. They almost beat a very good Bethel Park team. They clobbered decent Baldwin team. Beat a pretty good Mars team. I'm not saying they are going to win WPIAL but I think they are pretty good.

jim: What do teams that win a WPIAL or PIAA championship actually receive (from the WPIAL or PIAA)? A trophy and a pat on the back? Are any funds given to winning school [district]? Are expenses for food, travel, lodging, ... reimbursed? If so, is it a 1:1 repayment, or is it some type of predetermined per diem?
Mike White: They get a trophy and players and coaches get medals. Like just about every other state. What else do you want them to get? Expenses for food, travel, lodging are not paid. For WPIAL, there is a 50-50 split for sports that make money from playoff ticket sales - football, basketball and I believe soccer. It used to be that teams that went far and had a good following, they could maybe get back 15 thousand or so. Not that much any more because playoff attendance is down in football. Big school that sells lot tickets and goes far might get 3 thousand or so back. Making PIAA playoffs and going far is not a money-making thing for a school. So what. It can be a great thing for a school and a community.

Stan Kachowski: Mike I know we've had the discussion on stadiums on several occasions (and I'm in the camp that thinks Martorelli is the best HS stadium to take in a game), but I want to know do you feel there is a difference in atmosphere between the big schools and the little schools? Northgate is tiny but that place was pretty rockin' this Friday. Freeport is a really nice stadium that is packed with a good crowd. On the other hand, I've been to games at Fox Chapel and Butler and felt like it was just "meh."
Mike White: Yes there is obviously a difference in atmosphere at bigger and smaller schools. Because a big game at a big school draws more people. But there are certainly some great atmospheres at smaller stadiums, too, that might have a big game or a good team. Some small-school stadiums have a lot of charm, character and atmosphere, too. If you have a game with teams that are tomato cans, you aren't going to have much atmosphere, big or small.

Wpial fan: Was surprised PCC def was able to shut down PR run and shoot offense IMPRESIVE. That def line might be the most athletic I have seen. Allen twin and Beatty kid seemed to drop or line up over slots. The way they covered flats was crazy. Donald was unstoppable. As a Pitt Alum/fan how do we flip Beatty, get Allen twins and Donald to Pitt? Would love to see them play St Joes not sure they can win but what a match up.
Mike White: Yes, they're line is good. I don't think Beatty is flipping. As for the Allen twins, Pitt and many other Power 5 schools apparently don't think they can play at that level. That's why they haven't offered. That's OK. Pitt is allowed to not offer kids just because they're local.

OldSchool: Thoughts on Burgettstown? I think they have the most well-rounded team in AA. McGuffey and Washington are explosive but don’t play great defense. Burgettstown’s special teams are way better than the other two. Freedom and Avonworth factor in. However, Blue Devils look tops to me.
Mike White: Haven't seen Burgettstown but I know they are good. What a job Mark Druga has done in getting that program going. Have chance to be undefeated for second consecutive regular season. I think they are definitely a player for title. As for Burgettstown special teams, our athlete of the week is Burgettstown's Seth Phillis. Tell me if you've heard many kids have a game like this: Intercepted 3 passes, returned one for TD. Had TD reception. Rushed 19 yards. Kicked two field goals. Kicked four extra points. Also 6 of 7 kickoffs into end zone for touchbacks. And he finished third in the WPIAL 2A 100 meter dash in the spring. Pretty impressive.

Moonship: Hey Mike, what do you think of Moon's chances against Peters this Friday? Moon played Bethel tough last week.
Mike White: How is QB Dante Clay for Moon? That means a lot. I heard he got banged up a little against Bethel. No matter if he plays or not, though, I'm going Peters.

Edmil: Hi Mike, what has happened over a Quaker Valley. State champs two years ago and now the team can’t score a point while giving up over 40 a game. How does a program go bad so quickly ?
Mike White: You have to remember how Quaker Valley struggled for many years before that few year run. Honestly, they just don't have the talent they had few years ago. No Ricky Guss. They had other really good players. And I know they have small roster. One and only Ray Fittipaldo (one of our Steeler writers) saw them last week and said they only had about 25 players dressing. Honestly, I saw this coming. I knew most of their top players were graduating either two years ago or last year, and I knew they didn't have a lot coming.

Wike Mhite: You mentioned SF vs Knoch as a top game this week. Is Knoch still running the “triple-option” offense (I believe it was something strange like that)? It seems that it can be difficult to prepare for since it’s pretty unique. Do you see them hanging with SF?
Mike White: Yes, Knoch runs triple option offense. Yes, not many teams run it. No, I don't see Knoch beating South Fayette. I look for South Fayette to run conference winning streak to 61.

Quad North Fan: P-R vs. PCC was a stinker. P-R couldn't get out of its own way in Q1 and that hurt them. I thought defense was fine. Just couldn't get any help. Offense had 2 long TD's called back on legitimate penalties. Spencer was running for his life from opening snap. PCC offense looked solid. Rematch between them and NA for championship.
Mike White: Yes, we talked about this game above. Will be interesting to see a rematch. Playoff positions will likely come down to that last game - NA vs. Pine.

Quad North Fan: Back to P-R. How will they stack up against SV and Lebo? SV played PCC tough early and Lebo is coming on.
Mike White: Lebo could give Pine a game, no doubt. I'd still rate Pine as favorite, though. A lot depends on that Pine offensive line.

Ralphie: Mike, Gateway ran a modern offense and steamrolled North Hills. Pat Carey looks like he dusted off his playbook from 1987 and has been using it since he became coach. I know Gateway has some top talent, but can't the talent disadvantage be mitigated somewhat by running a more modern offense?
Mike White: That offense was OK for North Hills to win first four games. Offense doesn't mean as much as when the opponent has a lot more talent than you do. Gateway is No. 3 in the state. North Hills is OK, but not at level of Peters Township and Gateway. And maybe North Hills just hasn't had the talent to air it out like so many people seem to want. There haven't exactly been a plethora of good throwing QBs at North Hills over the past 5-6 years.

Guest: What are your thoughts on the Moon and Peterstownship game?
Mike White: See above. I'll go Peters. Too much. With Casilli, Pfeuffer, Magiske and that Hondru on defense is a stud.

Wike Mhite: Is the 5A Allegheny 8 the best (or deepest) conference we’ve seen in years? That is a gauntlet and the team that emerges on top (Peters?) will certainly be battle tested!
Mike White: It is very good with Peters, Upper St. Clair, Bethel and Moon. A few other teams aren't bad, either. But let's take it easy with "the best we've seen in years." It's good. Just leave it at that. I'll just go back three years and give you a Class 3A conference with Beaver Falls, Aliquippa, Central Valley, Beaver. Beaver was 7-2 and didn't make the playoffs. See what I mean about the "best in years?"

LawCo: Hey Mike. Union Area held a meeting about a co-op with another school for football next season. Numbers are low, and even lower at the JRHI level. Will more teams be doing this? Do you think schools have hung onto football too long due to school pride?
Mike White: Some schools definitely should co-op. But there's two reasons it doesn't happen. 1. Some schools don't want to do it because they say they lose their identity. I'm not saying I agree with that. But that's what they say. 2. The receiving school of a co-op might not want to do it because it might bump them up in classification.

turn around: Mike- much has been written about Knoch and southmoreland turnaround and you mentioned Moon above...any other programs this year that maybe haven't gotten the pub that seem to be turning things around so far this season.
Mike White: Freedom's best start since 1977 They are 6-0. West Greene undefeated.

Wike Mhite: At this point in the season; which classes do you feel have the strongest chance to rep the WPIAL (and win?) the state champ? I’d assume 3A due to Aliquippa’s dominance. Any Others??
Mike White: Class 3A definitely. Remember, Central Valley is really good also. And also Class 1A. In 5A, a decent shot because there doesn't seem to be a 5A power in the east because Archbishop Wood doesn't look as strong as usual. In 4A, you would think the 4A champ is going to face Erie Prep again. No, Prep might not be as strong as they used to be. But I caution against thinking Prep will not be strong. They already beat McKeesport at McKeesport

D9 Dave: Do you think there will come a day when the PIAA championship football games leave Hershey and go the Penn State? James Franklin seems to be pushing for Penn State to host more high school football games, and I believe State College is going to play one of their games there later this month.
Mike White: Boy I hope not.
Mike White: To expound D9 Dave. Yes, Penn State is hosting a high school game. But I don't like the idea of putting state games there. First off, I'm sure Penn State might not want 6 games in three days on their field. Secondly, people complain about atmosphere at Heinz Field for WPIAL finals. Place seems empty. Imagine how Beaver Stadium will seem? Lot bigger than Heinz. Also, no way PIAA should ever take a chance these days and risk putting state championships on a grass field. Field could be horrible. You need turf. It's time we just face this also: Fans just don't go to state championship games all that much in Pa. A crowd of 5,000 is gigantic for a PIAA final now. Just the way it is.

TJ fan: Is anyone stopping TJ this year? By the looks of it, I don’t even see south Fayette competing with them. TJ, could win 5a this year. I don’t know how it’s fun for the kids, only playing one half a game.
Mike White: Need I remind you of only a year ago? It was same thing. Can anyone stop TJ? Are they unbeatable? And they didn't win WPIAL. South Fayette won. Did you not learn from last year, TJ fan? Yes, TJ is very good. Yes, they are the favorite to win 4A. But remember 2018.

jim: follow-up: if winning teams don't reap some financial windfall with a championship why is there such a fuss in the years a private, parochial, or charter school are champions?
Mike White: What? Have you followed the public vs. private issue at all? The private/parochial/charter school thing has absolutely nothing to do with teams losing out on money from playoff tickets.

Old timer: Have you seen officiating getting worse? Last weeks Olsh/ Laurel game ref could not even run and was miles behind penalty filled ong runs. Still many refs off for the nigh. What’s up and do the kids deserve better?
Mike White: Hey old timer, do you know that it is harder and harder to find officials for all sports? The pool keeps getting smaller and smaller. An official who might not be in the best of shape? Boy, I've never seen that before. Bad officials have been around since the start of sports. But please understand there is a shortage of officials. The main reason is people just don't want to officiate. And I don't blame them. The pay isn't worth the garbage they have to put up with sometimes --- FROM PEOPLE ATTENDING THE GAMES!!!
Mike White: And we will leave you with that thought. See you next Tuesday at 11. Everyone, be good

First Published: October 1, 2019, 2:20 p.m.