By means of: Chris Harlan

Friday, September 6, 2024 | 01:09 AM

The storied tradition of Friday Night Football adds a new chapter this week with high school games across Pennsylvania. But could a game played in South America keep some fans at home, especially on the other side of the state?

That’s the question as the NFL schedules a rare game on Friday.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers will open their seasons in Brazil. This is the third time the NFL has scheduled a Friday since 2010, and high school sports advocates aren’t exactly thrilled with the idea.

“Friday nights are high school football nights for schools and their families,” said Bob Lombardi, PIAA executive director and current president of the National Federation of State High School Associations.

According to Sports Illustrated , the NFL has only scheduled a dozen games on Fridays in the history of the league. The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 can thank for their rarity, as the legislation prohibits the NFL from holding Friday or Saturday games from the second weekend in September through the second weekend in December.

There are some exceptions, such as holidays.

But this Friday was available because it’s the first weekend in September, not the second. The impact on turnout in Western Pennsylvania might not be noticeable, but it could be across the state.

“The fans that are involved (in high school football) will probably go,” said PIAA District 1 President Michael Barber, who oversees schools in the Philadelphia suburbs. “But the casual fan that just loves football, I think will stay home and watch the Eagles. If there were two other teams playing, I don’t think it would affect attendance. But because it’s the Eagles — and people here love the Eagles — I think it will.”

Kickoff for the NFL game is at 8:15 p.m.

According to Sports Illustrated, this was the first time since 1970 that the NFL held a Friday game on the league’s opening weekend. A year ago, the league scheduled it for the Friday after Thanksgiving, and it will do so this season as well. Those games are allowed as long as the majority of the game is over by 6 p.m., SI reported.

Barber, assistant superintendent at Kennett Consolidated School District in Chester County, said he remains hopeful for high school athletes that Friday NFL games will remain rare.

“As a sports fan, I would hate to see competitive events that would take away from the attendance, excitement and school spirit of high school sports,” Barber said. “To me, that’s what high school sports is all about.”

A traditional rematch

There are matchups that bring back memories of great WPIAL players and teams. Central Catholic vs. Woodland Hills is one of those matchups.

“Every time you mention Central Catholic and Woody High, the alumni come up,” Wolverines coach Brian Tarrant said. “You get the stories about the good old days, their senior year and the outcomes of some of those games. We’re just hoping to generate that kind of excitement again.”

Woodland Hills hosts Central Catholic in a non-conference matchup on Friday. It will be the 30th game between the teams in a series that includes seven playoff games and two WPIAL championships.

In 2013, Central Catholic won 27-7 in the WPIAL 4A finals at a snowy Heinz Field behind a dominant defense. Vikings linebacker Niko Thorpe had 13 tackles and recovered a fumble.

In 2001, Woodland Hills won 41-6 in the 4A finals in its first year at Heinz Field. Future NFL receiver Steve Breaston rushed for 219 yards and a touchdown for the Wolverines.

Last year’s game was one Woodland Hills would rather forget. The Wolverines were a program in transition when they lost a Week Zero opener to Central Catholic, 43-7, in Tarrant’s first game as coach.

“We felt Week Zero last year wasn’t representative of us,” Tarrant said. “So we want to come here and see how we match up against this team this year with more experience.”

All eyes on new No. 1

Imani Christian, who made the bold decision to voluntarily move up in rankings, will start this week as the No. 1 seed in WPIAL Class 3A.

Can they stay at the top?

The Saints don’t begin conference play for another week, but they should get a good test this week from Beaver, another ranked team in 3A. Both are 2-0. Imani Christian hosts the non-conference game on Friday at UPMC Graham Field in Wilkinsburg.

Imani Christian has outscored its first two opponents 79-6. David Davis has scored three touchdowns, Gabriel Jenkins has two and Penn State bound linebacker Dayshawn Burnett has one. David, a junior, and Jenkins, a sophomore, are also FBS recruits.

Beaver went 9-3 last season and reached the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals. Imani Christian went 8-3 and reached the 2A quarterfinals.

Conference enemies no longer

McKeesport and Thomas Jefferson put together one of the best competitive duels in recent years, but their revenge match on Friday breaks that streak.

It could be another close game, but they’re not in the same conference anymore. When the WPIAL realigned its conference for this season, McKeesport moved to Greater Allegheny, while Thomas Jefferson stayed in the conference that’s now called the Big Six.

The schools are only 12 miles apart. But the WPIAL wanted to better balance the strength of the 4A conferences, so the two teams were split. They had played each other four years in a row, with McKeesport winning three times, including a 28-7 victory last year.

Three in a row?

Either Carlynton (2-0) or host South Allegheny (2-0) will celebrate their third win on Friday. Remarkably, the teams combined for just three games last season, making their early-season success remarkable.

Their matchup is one of five on the WPIAL schedule that pairs teams with 2-0 records. Carlynton went 2-8 a year ago, and South Allegheny was 1-9.

Chris Harlan is a sports reporter for TribLive. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at [email protected].

Keywords: Central Catholic, Woodland Hills