ProfessorBriggs.com

PROFESSOR'S PROVERBS -- OCTOBER 11, 2016

Perspective. Seeing the bigger picture. It seems that a lot of people, when evaluating things in any aspect of life, are lacking perspective. Everything is the "best" or "worst" or "most important," whether it's a game, performance, speech, movie, etc.

It's very frustrating when people of all ages are so shortsighted with evaluations. Folks have to realize that the bar for "greatest" and "best" is extremely high in any area, just as it the standard is exceptionally low for "the worst."

What prompted me to start off with this is the fact that some Pittsburgh-area gasbag referred to last Friday night's Aliquippa-Clairton game as "The Game of the Year." Was it a compelling game between two historic programs? Absolutely. Was it intriguing to see many talented players on the field for both teams? No doubt. But did the game really have any meaning towards the playoffs or standings? No. Not a lick.

Clairton won 52-16 but the Bears are no closer to a playoff berth due to the win, just as Aliquippa's playoff hopes were not affected negatively.

For a game to be "Game of the Year," it has to have big-time meaning, especially in the regular season. Playoff berth on the line, conference title at stake, two undefeated teams meeting late in the season, etc. A good rivalry also adds to the significance of a game.

Which leads us to this upcoming Friday night, when 7-0 Hickory hosts 7-0 Wilmington. Both teams are 6-0 in Region 2. The winner will have at least a share of the conference title and very likely the outright title. Locally, this game would earn the designation as "Game of the Year." Now, playoff implications are minimal as Hickory will be the No. 1 3A team locally and Wilmington has the top 2A spot. So that takes a little of the fizz out of it.

Series-wise, Hickory and Wilmington have had some good games in recent years but would either program would consider the other as its "archrival"?

That being said, a lot is riding on this game. Hickory has had a very decorated run this decade. However, one of the "yeah, buts" for Hickory has been the fact that the Hornets have not won an outright league title during that span. A win Friday night erases that while also keeping the Hornets on track for a 9-0 regular season record.

Wilmington, which has been The Gold Standard in our area for 30 years now (a lot of people may not know/remember WPIAL Class A titles in 1987 and 1988), has not won a D-10 title since 2009. Is Wilmington "back"? A strong performance Friday night proves that the 2016 Greyhounds are elite.

> Friday's area schedule does feature a pair of games with playoff implications. The Reynolds-Greenville winner will likely be the No. 3 2A team coming out of the area into the District 10 tournament with the losing team settling for the fourth spot. That's a big deal in terms of quarterfinal matchup. Iroquois is leading Region 3 with a 7-0 overall record and appears to be the team to beat in that conference. The Braves qualified for the playoffs last season.

In Region 1, Farrell visits Cambridge Springs in a pivotal 1A matchup. Farrell can get to the No. 2 spot and a earn a quarterfinal bye by winning out. Cambridge Springs could work its way into a multi-team tie at 3-2 with a win over Farrell and a Week Nine win over Youngsville.

> Elsewhere in the district, Iroquois (7-0, 4-0) hosts Maplewood (4-3, 4-1) with the Region 3 title hanging in the balance. Titusville (6-1, 3-1) hosts Corry (5-2, 3-1) in Region 4. The top 3A team from Region 4 will get to play that conference's No. 5 3A team while the runner-up will get Slippery Rock in the quarterfinals.

In Region 6, General McLane (5-2, 3-1) visits Fort LeBoeuf (5-2, 2-2), with the winner likely to be the region's top entry into the 5A playoffs. General McLane has already played the top 5A teams in Region 5, Grove City and Meadville.

> Week Nine features only a handful of games with major playoff implications. The game that could challenge Hickory-Wilmington for the local "Game of the Year" will be Meadville at Grove City. Barring Oil City upsetting Meadville, both teams will be 5-0 in Region 5. Grove City could be going for a 9-0 regular season and it will be Senior Night at Forker Field.

The Region 5A runner-up will have to face a pretty salty Central Tech team in the opening round of the playoffs. Central nearly upset McDowell, falling 27-26. The Falcons already own a season-opening 40-36 win at Meadville this year.

Cochranton visits Farrell in a Region 1 battle that could determine who gets a bye into the semifinal round. West Middlesex, based upon receiving a forfeit this week from Youngsville, is now 4-0 and has clinched the top seed.

Conneaut (Pa.) visits Franklin to determine the No. 3 and No. 4 teams out of Region 5. In Region 3, Northwestern at Seneca could be for a playoff spot, depending upon what happens this week.

> Monday night, Sports Radio 96.7 and 790 WPIC unveiled this week's Power Rankings. Click on "Power Rankings" to see where the teams rank, according to our informed and varied panel. 

Here is how I voted. The number in parentheses is where the team was ranked in my previous Power Rankings:

1. Hickory (last week: 1) -- We learned a lot about Hickory's ability to take a punch Friday night at Sharpsville.
2. Wilmington (2) -- "Hounds Hammer" leaving a lot of dents in the opposition.
3. Grove City (3) -- Still undefeated after dismantling DuBois.
4. Sharon (4) -- Locals may not realize how significant win over Holy Name is.
5. West Middlesex (NR) -- Winning four straight and taking control of conference race gets Big Reds on the ballot.

> I am excited to call the Greenville-Reynolds game Friday night as it will be my first look at each of the teams this season. Following Friday night, I will have gotten to call 11 of the area's 12 teams this season over an eight-week span, which is pretty cool.

One thing that dawned on me is that I don't think Chris Burtch, my regular partner, has seen a team line up in the I-formation during a broadcast this season. In the games we've called this season, I would estimate that at least 75 percent of the quarterback snaps were taken in the shotgun or pistol instead of from under center. But there's still a lot of running, in a lot of cases.

So often, people equate "spread" with "freewheeling passing game." Look at NCAA FBS rankings for rushing offense: Ohio State, Louisville, Baylor, Texas A&M and Auburn all run out of the shotgun with three and four receivers on the field. Sure, New Mexico, Georgia Southern, Tulane and the military academies run the triple-option and there's also pro-style offenses like Pitt and Michigan in there as well. The spread enables teams to have power attacks (Ohio State), option attacks (Baylor) or Wing-T-esque misdirection/counters (Auburn).

The spread is not going away. I think that you'll see more and more teams incorporate it at the high school level in years to come. When something is popular at the college level, you see it filter into the high school level. In the 1970s and 1980s, how many programs went to the Wishbone offense and 5-2 defense due to Oklahoma's success?

Now, there are so many college football games available on television, "on demand," online, through film software (Hudl, etc.), and Youtube, coaches have easy access to a lot of information on the spread.

> Keep the cards and letters coming to ryanbriggs@zoominternet.net. Follow me on Twitter @professorbriggs