Blitz Insider

On Saturday evening, as I was walking into Wheeling Island stadium for my third high school game in a rare weekend tripleheader, I took a minute to scan the parking lot for tailgaters.

Ursuline was getting ready to play Pittsburgh Central Catholic, which is best known for producing Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino.

I didn’t see Dan Marino. Instead, I saw the man who ate Dan Marino. He was easily 350 pounds and didn’t think he needed to wear a shirt. He was mistaken.

Then I looked into the stadium and saw something even scarier — Steubenville’s band was getting ready for the halftime show, which meant Ursuline’s game was running WAY late, which meant my deadline just got a lot tighter, which meant there was a 99 percent chance I’d have wireless issues, which is how I ended up writing a bad story at the Wheeling Intelligencer on (sigh) a PC.

In addition to being nerdier and less user-friendly, PCs deprive you of the undeserved sense of superiority that you can only get with a Mac.

So, that was the bad news.

The good news is, I got to watch three of the area’s best teams (Poland, Mooney and Ursuline) at three terrific stadiums on three perfect September nights.

Reality set in Sunday as I spent 30 minutes inside Lowe’s looking at carpet samples with my wife and another 20 inside T.J. Maxx looking for a new comforter.

Also, instead of going to the Canfield Fair, we went to the “Taste of Hudson,” which is the type of outdoor event where you can buy lobster bisque for $4 a cup. This is no surprise to anyone who has ever been to Hudson and no consolation to anyone who had a hankering for cavatelli.

Fortunately, the Browns’ inevitable drive toward 19-0 begins next Sunday, as does my annual drive toward delusion.

Among last weekend’s highlights:

UWatching Ursuline’s running backs, Allen Jones and Akise Teague, is an absolute treat.

For one quarter at least, these two guys put a huge scare into the Vikings and make you hold your breath every time they touch the ball. The Irish just didn’t have enough depth to keep the game close in the fourth quarter but watching Saturday’s game made me wonder why I didn’t pick them to repeat as Division V champs.

UOh wait, I remember now. It’s because I’m terrible at making predictions. Mooney Nation reminded me of this, since I was the only one on our staff not to pick them against Columbus DeSales.

Kelly Pavlik’s trainer, Jack Loew, was the first to send me a friendly text and Mooney assistant Chris Amill even sent me a text at 7:29 — one minute before kickoff — asking, “Where’s the loyalty?”

I have no loyalties to any one team — it’s part of the job — but I knew I was doomed after just two possessions. Mooney’s defense reminds me of a pack of bees — quick, swarming and eager to inflict pain.

If you’re looking for a team to watch, the Cardinals are definitely worth your time, which is more than I can say for a certain alumnus/former congressman of theirs.

Two weeks ago, I picked Mooney to win the Div. III state title. Last week, I picked the Cardinals to lose to a Div. III team.

(In case you’re wondering, no, this doesn’t make sense to me, either.)

After watching Steubenville’s second half on Saturday, I’m sticking with my Mooney title pick.

UAs for Poland, I’m eager to see how the Bulldogs fare against Canfield and Howland.

But I know this — junior Darius Patton is the real thing and sophomore QB Colin Reardon’s delivery is a work of art. Through two weeks, the Bulldogs look like they’re for real.

Talking schedules

In last week’s column, I argued teams such as Howland and Canfield should be scheduling games against the likes of Fitch, Boardman and Warren Harding. (Response was mainly positive, since area fans like area teams to play area opponents.)

First, a correction. Howland’s opponent this week, St. Jean De Brebeuf (Ontario) is a Division I school, not Division VI. (The OHSAA made a mistake on its Web site.) But that doesn’t change my opinion — Ohio teams play Canadian teams for one of two reasons; either they want a home game or they can’t find another opponent.

But after talking to a source at Howland, I’ve learned the Tigers are hoping to land a game against Fitch in 2011, which is a good start. Howland already scrimmages Boardman and has tried on a few occasions to schedule Warren Harding, but couldn’t make the dates work.

No one is asking Canfield and Howland to schedule Fitch, Boardman and Warren Harding every year. But, as I said before, each team should schedule one of those three every year.

I think it’ll happen eventually. Football pays a lot of bills and those matchups would be huge money-makers for the schools.

Other thoughts from Week Two

UIs there a better boys athletic program in the Valley right now than McDonald?

Last season the Blue Devils went undefeated in football and have made the playoffs the last three years. They also finished third in the state in boys cross country, went unbeaten in boys basketball and advanced to the district final, won a conference title in baseball and won a district title in track.

McDonald has certainly benefited from competing in Tier Two of the Inter Tri-County League — the Blue Devils are the biggest team — but it’s not like the school is overrun by Division I athletes. Credit the coaches for creating a culture of success and the athletes for buying into it.

UCan’t wait to see how teams like Fitch, Girard and Western Reserve stack up to the best teams on their schedules. Right now, their offenses seem unstoppable.

UTwo games, two gutsy wins for Canfield.

UCampbell and Newton Falls probably won’t make the playoffs, but I like what I’ve seen so far.

UTier One of the Inter Tri-County League might be my favorite area league. It seems like there’s four legitimate title contenders every year — and this year there might be five.

UCongrats to Sebring coach Jay Brophy for getting his first win as a head coach and for snapping the team’s 19-game losing streak in the process.

XJoe Scalzo covers high school football for The Vindicator. Write him at scalzo@vindy.com.