5 things to watch in Week 2: NFL encroaches on Friday night high school football tradition

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, September 6, 2024 | 1:09 AM

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The storied tradition of Friday night football adds another chapter this week with high school games all across Pennsylvania. But might a game played in South America keep some fans home, especially on the other side of the state?

That’s in question because the NFL has scheduled a rare Friday game.

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers open their season in Brazil. This was the third time the NFL has scheduled on a Friday since 2010, and advocates for high school sports don’t necessarily like the idea.

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

The NFL has scheduled only a dozen games on a Friday in league history, according to Sports Illustrated. The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 can be thanked for their rarity, since the legislation restricts 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 since it’s considered the first weekend of September, not the second. The impact on attendance in Western Pennsylvania might not be noticeable but it could be across the state.

“The fans who are vested (in high school football) will probably go,” said PIAA District 1 chairman Michael Barber, who oversees suburban Philadelphia schools. “But the casual fan that just loves football, I think they will stay home and watch the Eagles. If two other teams were playing, I don’t think it would impact attendance. But due to the fact it’s the Eagles — and people here love the Eagles — I do think it will.”

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

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

Barber is assistant superintendent at Kennett Consolidated School District in Chester County. He said he remained hopeful for the sake of high school athletes that NFL games on Fridays continue to be rare.

“Being a sports fan, I’d hate to see competing events that would cause high school sports to decrease in attendance and excitement and school spirit,” Barber said. “To me, that’s what high school sports are all about.”

A tradition-rich rematch

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

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

Woodland Hills hosts Central Catholic in a nonconference matchup Friday. This will be the 30th game between the teams, a series that includes seven playoff games and two WPIAL championships.

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

In 2001, Woodland Hills won 41-6 in the 4A final in the 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 prefer to 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 didn’t feel like Week Zero last year was a representation of us,” Tarrant said. “So we want to get out here and see how we match up with this team this year with more experience.”

All eyes on new No. 1

Imani Christian, which made the bold decision to voluntarily move up in classification, enters this week ranked No. 1 in WPIAL Class 3A.

Can they stay on top?

The Saints won’t start 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 nonconference game 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 foes no longer

McKeesport and Thomas Jefferson waged one of the better conference rivalries in recent years, but their rematch Friday breaks that streak.

It could be another good game, but they’re no longer in the same conference. When the WPIAL realigned conference for this season, it moved McKeesport to the Greater Allegheny while Thomas Jefferson remained in the conference now called the Big Six.

The schools are only about 12 miles apart. But the WPIAL wanted to better balance the strength of the 4A conferences, so the two teams were split up. They’d played one another 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 its third win on Friday. Remarkably, the teams combined to win only three games last season, which makes their early-season success noteworthy.

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

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Central Catholic, Woodland Hills