The Birdie wonders which WPIAL teams will cut the mustard

By: The Birdie
Wednesday, November 13, 2019 | 6:00 PM

Last week: 3-1 (75.0%)

Season: 121-24 (83.4%)

The Birdie does not regret the decision because this time of year is about making memories and celebrating playoff wins.

And everyone knows he has good taste.

After your favorite Westmoreland County football expert saw video of some Belle Vernon and Thomas Jefferson football players squirting Heinz ketchup into their mouths after victories last Friday, he ran to the lunchroom refrigerator and grabbed a squeeze bottle of … mustard?

“I didn’t want to cramp those other guys’ style,” he said, gurgling down some more of the yellow condiment and chasing it with some pickle juice. “I get the whole Heinz thing. Heinz Field. Ketchup. But that wonderful company also makes mustard, barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, pickles and other goodies — even combos like Mayochup and Mayomust — that strike my snacking fancy. Heinz Field is yellow, so mustard should get the chug treatment when teams are Heinz-bound.”

The only problem is, Birdie ingested so much mustard from celebrating Belle Vernon’s first finals trip in two decades that he turned greener than relish.

He missed a few days of “work.”

“They got me on load management while I recover,” he said, wiping a blot of mustard off his new Minkah Fitzpatrick jersey. “I’ll be back in time for this weekend’s action. We have some dandies for yinz, kiddos. All are ‘must’ wins.”

Penn-Trafford (11-1) vs. Peters Township (11-1)

Last year’s quarterfinal was a wild one at West Mifflin and the teams return to the scene of the madness with many of the same playmakers. The Birdie thinks the big plays will be less frequent and the defenses will make an impact. Penn-Trafford, 21-20

Belle Vernon (10-1) vs. Thomas Jefferson (12-0)

The Birdie told a few media comrades that this was Belle Vernon’s year. He said the Leopards have weapons all over the field. But Thomas Jefferson does, too. Every. Single. Year. Thomas Jefferson, 27-14

Ligonier Valley (12-0) vs. Richland (11-0)

The Birdie thinks Ligonier Valley has the potential to bring a District 6 title back to town, but Richland is very strong defensively and will disrupt Ligonier, which won’t click as well away from Weller Field. Richland, 20-16

Tags: Belle Vernon, Ligonier Valley, Penn-Trafford