By Tribune-Review

Published: Thursday, November 1, 2012, 12:41 a.m.
Updated: Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Leader lost power Monday night and dealt with an electricity-less existence for more than 48 hours.

To write this column, the Leader cranked a sheet of paper into an old typewriter and began to tap out prognostications. The work required several bottles of WhiteOut, an entire box of matches and four candlesticks. But the Leader knew how much readers desired insight on these pivotal matchups, so it pressed on.

Forgive the Leader for any remaining typos. All that time in the dark left the Leader a little dazed.

No. 10 Beaver Falls (7-2) at No. 7 Freeport (7-2)

Freeport's only encounter with a nonconference opponent this season did not end well. The Leader knows the Yellowjackets want to redeem themselves after a disappointing exit in 2011. But the WPIAL put Freeport in a position to struggle, as there are a lot of big, fast players in that Beaver Falls lineup.

Beaver Falls, 35-20

No. 12 Apollo-Ridge (6-3) at No. 5 Monessen (8-1)

How the Vikings ended up with Monessen remains a mystery to the Leader. The Greyhounds finished one loss away from a perfect record, and their lone setback came against Clairton, the team with the nation's longest active winning streak! Anyway, Apollo-Ridge needs a big breakthrough early in the game. If momentum quickly shifts toward Monessen, Apollo-Ridge might endure a long night.

Monessen, 42-21

Karns City (6-3) at Marion Center (3-6)

Karns City picked up District 6's Marion Center in order to fill an open spot in its schedule. As a Class A team with a losing record in the historically weak Heritage Conference, Marion Center likely won't present much of a challenge for the Gremlins, who are preparing for the District 9 Class AA playoffs. Expect a one-sided affair.

Karns City, 49-12

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