HS football picks: Which is Philadelphia's best football team?

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER We might find out today, or maybe next Friday night. With Central Catholic's third straight PIAA 3A semifinal matchup with Archbishop Wood now set, and Parkland playing La Salle College High School and Pen Argyl facing Imhotep Charter this afternoon in state quarterfinal-round games, we're going to see what Philadelphia high school football is all about. Don't judge the city by the two teams that play at LIncoln Financial Field -- the Eagles and Temple Owls. A lot of talent still exists in the city and nearby suburbs at the high school level. We knew that when the PIAA allowed first the Philadelphia Public League and then the Philadephia Catholic League to come aboard, the power structure in the state would change. Certainly, District 12 has made an impact in all sports, especially in football with regular appearances in Hershey, and there are a lot of people who feel they have some unfair advantages in how their rosters are composed. That's not the concern of either the Trojans or Green Knights today or Central Catholic on Friday. The local teams just have to ignore the hype and the griping and just go out and play good, solid football. As for today's games, I see a split: Parkland 49, La Salle 35 -- Another shootout win for the Trojans who are one of the few teams to be able to match the sheer speed and explosiveness of the Explorers. La Salle is not as good as the team that has eliminated our district champ the last three years in a row. They seem vulnerable, especially on defense. Andy "The Weave" is hopping on the Parkland bandwagon. Mr. Nazareth is going with the Trojans, 42-33. Great minds think alike. Imhotep Charter 34, Pen Argyl 20-- You have to give the Green Knights a lot of credit for sticking together through a lot of adversity to beat quality football teams like Tamaqua, Catasauqua and Wyoming Area over the past three weeks. Few outside Wind Gap saw this coming. But Imhotep Charter, like West Catholic last year, is simply in a different category. Plus, Pen Argyl is a banged-up team. You can expect the Green Knights to play with a lot of heart and represent the Slate Belt with a lot of class. It could be a game for awhile and certainly the Green Knights should own the town of Slatington today and make it a hostile environment for the Panthers, but ultimately, this great Green Knights run is likely to end.