Week 7 HS football picks: Why do they have to play baseball playoffs on Friday nights?

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER Fall Friday nights belong to the high school kids. Doesn't Major League Baseball understand that? Once again we have a big Friday night of local football and baseball playoffs going on at the same time. That means either some people will stay at home to watch baseball (like Yankees fans for instance) or be very distracted during the high school games tonight. At least as a Cardinals fan I should be done in time tonight to see either my favorite team have its season end in Washington or see them celebrate a return trip to the NLCS. Game 5 of that series doesn't start until 8:30 and even without Tony La Russa making massive changes, it won't end until 11:30 or midnight at the earliest.Cardinal I'd like St. Louis' chances better if they had an ex-Phillies hitter in their lineup considering what Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth have done the last few days and also considering Hunter Pence is going on to the NLCS with the Giants. The Cardinals have had some good fortune on Friday nights in recent years. They clinched the 2006 World Series title on Friday night, and won Game 7 of last year's World Series on a Friday night. They also eliminated the Phillies with that 1-0 thriller last October on a Friday night. And who can forget that they also beat the Braves last week on a Friday night in the now infamous Outfield-Fly Rule Game. My guess, however, is that the Nats' Gio Gonzalez, tonight's starter, isn't worried about that stuff. No matter what happens, it could be worse. I could be a Reds fan. Last week with the high school picks, I was 18-4 with most of the mistakes coming either way up the line (Do you hear me North Schuylkill?), or down the line (I think I am done with Quakertown). For the season, I am 105-30 (77 percent), a record that only Joe Biden would laugh at. Here are the Week 7 picks: LEHIGH VALLEY CONFERENCE Whitehall 42, Central Catholic 21 -- This is where I will be. You can follow me on Twitter @KeithGroller, assuming we can get the old laptop connected. Always an intense rivalry game. Central's Colin McDermott is tough to stop, but at the same time, the Vikings have trouble stopping quality offenses. Nazareth 56, Bethlehem Catholic 13 -- Golden Hawks should savor that win over Liberty because it's likely their only win of this season. Andy "The Weave" Weaver is not holding back on his selection. He's going 42-3 with his beloved Blue Eagles. Parkland 42, Freedom 27 -- Jason Roeder didn't go into a Dennis Green routine, but he knows his Patriots "let Easton off the hook" last week. I don't know if his team can summon up that kind of energy again to knock off a Parkland team that may be the area's best at the moment. Easton 34, Northampton 14 -- Red Rovers are the area's Al Davis team, and even though they often don't look pretty doing it, they "Just win, baby." Emmaus 27, Liberty 21 -- Green Hornets have played a lot of football at BASD this year. With this one, they will have played just as many games on Grenadier Blvd (three) as they have played at home. They better hope this trip goes better than their last one to the Christmas City if they want to keep their subregional hopes alive. MOUNTAIN VALLEY CONFERENCE ES North 47, Dieruff 14 -- Another struggle for a beleaguered Huskies defense, but I keep hearing that the JV team is doing well. Pleasant Valley 33, ES South 28 -- The game of the night in the MVC. Wrote about the friendship between Jim Terwilliger and Ed Christian in today's paper. My guess is that Terwilliger won't be coaching high school football for very long. I see him as an outstanding college coach someday soon. Stroudsburg 28, PM East 21 -- Were it not for a couple of special teams mistakes, the Cardinals could very well be 5-1 instead of 3-3. This one was a defensive struggle in the rain last year and a big win for East. With a faster track, expect both teams to score much more tonight. Crestwood 27, PM West 14 -- The Comets have won five straight, but haven't really beaten a great team in that mix. At the same time, the Panthers' two wins -- Becahi and Allen -- are over teams that are a combined 1-11. Allen 19, Lehighton 14 -- Might be the last chance for either Allen or Dieruff to get a win before their season-ending meeting on Nov. 3. The Indians will find that this Allentown team plays a little better defense than the last one they faced. COLONIAL LEAGUE Bangor 33, Palmerton 12 -- After a one-week break, we go back to those four little words: In Scags I trust. Palisades 41, Salisbury 13 -- Haven't heard much about the Pirates ship lately. Here's hoping they can keep the knuckleheads away from doing any damage to this new version. Saucon Valley 19, Notre Dame 14 -- Tough one to call. Panthers need this one to keep District 11 playoff hopes alive. I've heard some good things about the defense being played by Dennis Atiyeh, Jr. Southern Lehigh 34, Wilson 14 -- With the exception of an Oct. 26 date at Palisades, I don't see too much keeping the revitalized Spartans from finishing the regular season on a seven-game win streak and earning a berth in the district playoffs. Northern Lehigh 20, Northwestern 14 -- Good to talk with Jim Tkach the other day. He will be broadcasting this game for Blue Ridge on what should again be an emotional night because the Bo Tkach Memorial Foundation is being spotlighted. Jim is an inspiration and so is the great Brett Snyder, who is still treasured at Lehigh along with his brother Josh, the Tigers first-year coach. Catasauqua 27, Pen Argyl 20 -- Might be the best game of the weekend in any league. I hope I don't apply the Groller Curse to the Roughies because I am speaking in Kevin Foley's class later today. If Catty loses tomorrow, I will probably never be invited back to that fine-looking school in Northampton. OTHERS Mahanoy Area 26, Jim Thorpe 20 -- My guess is that the fall foliage is at its best right now in Thorpe. Marian Catholic 32, Minersville 19 -- Seeing Stan Dakosty, Jr., will be many of the local sidelights when Colgate comes to Lehigh in a couple of weeks. Stan is an assistant coach with the Raiders. Shenandoah Valley 33, Panther Valley 13 -- After winning three of first four, the Panthers have been outscored 65-7 over the past two weeks. Tamaqua 27, Schuylkill Haven 20 -- Have a feeling that next month's District 11 2A title game could turn into the "Aqua Bowl" between Catasauqua and Tamaqua. CB West 28, Quakertown 6 -- I realize Mike Pettine is not walking through that locker room door for the Bucks, but I won't be burned by picking the Panthers again. CB South 34, Pennridge 28 -- Big one down there in the southern part of our coverage area. This is Rams vs. Titans, sounds like a rematch of my favorite Super Bowl of all-time, Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000. Garden Spot 33, Pius X 21 -- Garden Spot is an undefeated District 3 team. Most of their scores have been very one-sided. If Phil Stambaugh's Royals can somehow win this one, they will finish the regular season 6-4 and return to the District 11 Class A playoffs. Enjoy the games everybody.