The Birdie’s Week 1 picks in Westmoreland County are the real deal

By: The Birdie
Wednesday, August 28, 2024 | 7:48 PM

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Last week: 8-3 (72.7%)

Skimmers and scammers. You know who you are, and the wordie Birdie is watching you.

“These fake livestreams of games are getting out of control,” Birdie said. “Looking for the game you want to watch on the world wide web is like walking into a land mine. Watch your step. I clicked on what I thought was a local game, and I got some anime video game with cats and they wanted my credit card info. I only use plastic for DoorDash.

“Make sure it’s legit before you click.”

The same goes for high school football experts, Birdie said, whizzing by on Latrobe’s robotic tackling dummy.

The dummy slams on the brakes and the Birdie goes flying into a fence.

“Look, two dummies,” a tall, crew-cutted bystander said.

Back to picks columnists:

“Go with the real thing,” Birdie said. “Like me, for instance. I’m the genuine article. There are a lot of pretenders out there. If someone claims to be the Birdie, ask them this: What team hates you the most? Only I know that answer.”

The Birdie won 8 of 11 games in Week Zero and has his eye on several 2-0 starts for area teams.

He was impressed by Norwin’s improvement, Jeannette’s hands, GCC’s quarterback, Southmoreland’s special teams and Monessen’s speed.

As for his prolonged battle with skimmers, the Birdie can’t control them, but he can ask them to be more patient.

He won’t come down on them as hard as Monessen.

“On your lunch break — mmm, lunch — take my column with you, or open it online and give it a nice, thorough read,” he said. “Slow down and learn. I work hard on these picks. When you skim, you scam me!”

Now here’s his real-deal picks for Week 1.

• Apollo-Ridge (0-1) at Jeannette (1-0): For as small a roster as it has, Jeannette makes up for it with big plays. Some breakaway yards-after-the-catch will spur the Jayhawks at home. Jeannette, 34-13

• Belle Vernon (0-0) at Aliquippa (0-0): Going to Heinz Field has all new meaning now that they’ve replaced “The Pit” with that name. Belle Vernon can play with the Quips, but they won’t have enough defensively to stop the run. Aliquippa, 23-16

• East Allegheny (0-1) at Southmoreland (1-0): The Scotties’ pass rush is threatening, and it will provide pressure to make East Allegheny one dimensional on the way to a 2-0 start. Southmoreland, 35-21

• Franklin Regional (1-0) at Hempfield (0-1): Look for Franklin Regional to establish the run early, hit a few big pass plays, then hold off the Spartans late. Franklin Regional, 28-14

• Freeport (1-0) at Derry (0-1): Field position will play an important role in a matchup of two teams that like to run the ball. Freeport, 17-7

• Ligonier Valley (1-0) at Greensburg Salem (1-0): Ligonier Valley has speed on the perimeter, but so does Greensburg Salem. Whoever contains the edge better wins. Greensburg Salem, 21-19

• Mt. Pleasant (0-1) at Greensburg Central Catholic (1-0): This game has produced plenty of scoring in the past, and the offensive fireworks should continue. Mt. Pleasant, 36-33

• Mt. Lebanon (0-1) at Penn-Trafford (0-1): If Penn-Trafford can overcome the thought of playing a 6A team and do what it does best, the Warriors can win. Penn-Trafford, 29-20

• Norwin (1-0) at Kiski Area (42-7): If you like good quarterback play, tune into this one. Norwin has a power running game to go with that QB attack, which Kiski Area will need to worry about. Norwin, 21-14

• Plum (0-1) at Latrobe (1-0): While offense gets the lion’s share of the attention at Latrobe, the Wildcats’ defense is loaded with talent. Not many teams are going to run on this unit. Latrobe, 42-6

• West Greene (0-1) at Monessen (1-0): Monessen has some strict fan rules this season. Watch its football team show West Greene the door in this one. Monessen, 45-7

• Yough (1-0) at Charleroi (0-1): Yough’s defense will have to show up and keep Charleroi’s offense off the field as much as possible. Yough, 21-10

Tags: Aliquippa, Belle Vernon, Charleroi, Derry Area, East Allegheny, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Monessen, Mt. lebanon, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland, West Greene, Yough