Birdie grades his A-K Valley football predictions before Friday playoffs
The columnist admits three misses in his preseason record but stands by his accuracy for most teams, while offering scorelines for five upcoming first-round matchups.
By Sakura Novak ·
The A-K Valley high school football season is on the verge of its postseason phase, and local columnist The Birdie has returned to review his preseason performance. With the first round of WPIAL playoffs scheduled to begin Friday, he provided a detailed audit of his win-loss predictions for the thirteen teams in the region. His record for the regular season stands at 82 wins and 22 losses, an accuracy rate of 78.8 percent. Last week alone, he went 8-2.
The Birdie categorized his preseason calls into three distinct groups: on the money, aiming too low, and aiming too high. For the first group, which includes Highlands, Plum, Springdale, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, and Valley, he was either exactly correct or off by only one win. He noted that these teams have no reason to mock his predictions. "I was more or less right," he said.
The second category includes Apollo-Ridge, Freeport, and Knoch. In these three cases, his predictions were only two wins lower than the actual results. He acknowledged that these teams performed better than he anticipated. "You're better than I expected," he admitted, welcoming the criticism that comes with underestimating an opponent.
The third group consists of Kiski Area, Leechburg, and Riverview, where his predictions were significantly higher than reality. He attributed these misses to two main factors. First, dropping down in class does not guarantee a high number of wins because every conference remains competitive. Second, roster size matters; if a football team has roughly the same number of players as its basketball team, securing victories becomes difficult.
Moving to the immediate future, The Birdie offered scorelines for the five A-K Valley teams entering Friday's postseason games. He begins with West Mifflin visiting Freeport. While West Mifflin running back Armand Hill is a major threat, Freeport utilized a specific defensive strategy against Highlands earlier in the season. He predicts Freeport will win 27-13.
In the second matchup, Kiski Area travels to South Fayette. Although Kiski Area made the playoffs by defeating strong opponents, South Fayette possesses multiple high-caliber playmakers. The columnist favors the Lions to win 34-21.
Deer Lakes hosts Avonworth in a Class 3A contest. While the Lancers gain valuable experience from their postseason berth, Avonworth is viewed as the dominant force in this bracket. The projection is an Avonworth victory with a final score of 38-6.
Highlands plays at Elizabeth Forward. The Warriors had a strong season but lost two of their last three games. Tevin Owen-Cratsenberg gives Highlands a chance, but The Birdie predicts Elizabeth Forward will edge out a 34-31 win.
Finally, Burrell faces Propel Braddock Hills. If the Bucs can establish a running game, they have a chance, but Propel is described as the more dangerous opponent in this scenario. The pick is a 33-13 victory for Propel Braddock Hills.
