Week 6 Notes

Week 5 Recap

After several weeks of football “as expected”, the world of Philly football seemed to implode upon itself. Upsets and unexpected outcomes were the big story for week 5 in District 12. It was so bad, that our pick ‘em panel only went 2-2 in week 5, bringing our overall season record to 15-5.

In the Philly Pub, the usual suspects for the top spots in the AAAA classification, Washington and Frankford, were both upset this week. Washington, playing the annual bridesmaid, Northeast, fell to their rival to the south by a close score of 14-12. Frankford was beaten by Bartram. The Red division in the Pub is supposed to be Washington, Frankford and Northeast, usually in that order. But, that scenario is out the window. Could this be Northeast’s year to finish on top? With Frankford and Washington playing this week, it will guarantee that one of those perennial division champs will do no better than 2-2 in the regular season. But, fortunately for both of those teams, all 5 teams in the Red division qualify for the playoffs, which in the Philly Pub, is definitely a second season for these teams.

In the Catholic League, the one big “upset” was Wood beating West Catholic by a score of 28-21. This was a game for the ages, and it renews the old blue division rivalry that went on for several years before the PCL joined the PIAA, which placed these two teams in different divisions. Both of these teams made it to the state championship game in 2008, with Wood representing the eastern part of the state at the AAA classification, and West the AA. Although this game didn’t have any playoff implications, it does give bragging rights to Wood for the next year.

Games to Watch in Week 6

Father Judge at LaSalle, Fri 7:00PM (Plymouth-Whitemarsh)

This is the second week in a row that Judge is taking on one of the top teams in the PCL. Last week, they barely loss to #1 St Joe Prep by a touchdown. This week, they take on the #2 team in LaSalle. The Explorers are coming off an easy 38-0 shut out of bottom feeder, Ryan. It appears as though their star players are all healthy again, so this should be a tough one for the Crusaders. Quite frankly, we’re not sure how to pick this one, so we’ll go for the “upset”.

Our Pick: Father Judge 21 – LaSalle 20

Washington at Frankford, Sat 6:00PM (Northeast)

This game is usually the one that decides the Red Division champion. But, after both teams lost in week 5, it very well may be the game that decides second place. Back in the pre-PIAA, this game would have decided which team goes to the playoffs and which team goes home for the winter. Regardless of how this season is turning out, this should be a great game, with the loser licking their wounds and looking forward to getting even in the playoffs, and the winner earning a higher seed as they begin their playoff march.

Our Pick: Washington 20 – Frankford 13

Cardinal Dougherty at Bishop McDevitt, Sat 7:00PM (Cheltenham)

If you were to ask me at the beginning of the season who we might pick for a game to watch in week 6, this game would not have been on our top 10 list, let alone one of the best 4 games to watch. But, with McDevitt (4-0, 2-0) playing the best that they have played in years, and Dougherty (3-1, 1-0) looking for their playoff appearance since 2000, this game could truly be for the second spot in the AA division. We don’t see either team knocking off West Catholic, but stranger things have happened this year.

Our Pick: Bishop McDevitt 27 – Cardinal Dougherty 14.

School of the Future at Delaware Valley, Sat 3:00PM (Germantown)

We usually don’t select A teams for this section, but this game could very well decide which team will finish first in the Pub A division. Both teams are 3-1 overall and 1-0 in league play. The winner will be in the driver’s seat at the half way point of the season.

Our Pick: Future 19 – Del-Val 6

Tomorrow, we will list our rankings going into week 6. With all of the unexpected outcomes in week 5, expect several teams to move up or down in this week’s poll.