No Steelers this weekend? Here's a great football idea to wet the palate

October 31, 6:02 AMPittsburgh Sports ExaminerMatt Pawlikowski

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Craig Sudunov's big hits are just one reason the Presidents are 7-0 to start the year.
Washington and Jefferson Sports Information

Western Pennsylvania is without a doubt one of the real hubs of national football. From its great WPIAL teams, to the number of players that have gone onto the NFL, it is a mecca of greatness.

Although the Steelers define the term, with six Lombardi's and the Panthers are back in the national spotlight, both teams have bye weeks.

But don't fret, perhaps the marquee game of small school football takes place this afternoon in Washington, Pennslyvania as  Washington and Jefferson bring their unddefeated slate into battle with unbeaten Thomas Moore.

Both teams bring national reankings into the contest, with the Presidents ranked sixth, while Thomas Moore is 13th. The battle will also decide who wins the Presidents Athletic Conference.

“Thomas More is definitely the favorite,” coach Mike Sirianni said. “They beat us last year and then didn’t get a favorable draw in the playoffs so they will be ready to defend their championship. I believe we are going to benefit from the extra weeks of practice during the NCAA playoffs last year."

W&J leads by a 3-1 margin, and both teams enter the game with winning records for the fourth time in the five meetings.

With a win, the Presidents would become the 16th team in school history to start a season with an 8-0 record. Including last year's loss in week eight to TMC, W&J has lost twice after a 7-0 start. In 1909, Washington & Jefferson and Navy played to a scoreless tie during the eighth game of the season.

The only other week-eight loss after a 7-0 start came at home in 1994 as Cortland State posted a 24-21 nonconference victory at College Field. That year, W&J went on to make its second Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl appearance.

W&J and Thomas More have very similar statistics in 2009. The Presidents have 147 first downs, while the Saints have notched 138. Both teams have committed 12 turnovers and are separated by 10 yards of total offense (TMC: 2,840; W&J - - 2,830). W&J has been penalized 46 times (449 yards), while TMC has been flagged 48 times (406 yards)

“Every year, our seniors pass something down to our underclassmen and, most importantly, it is confidence,” said W&J coach Mike Sirianni. “Programs like ours don’t rebuild. We have good players who wait their turn to be in the spotlight. That is why we put so much emphasis on our junior varsity program. This group of seniors is even more focused. They have a chip on their shoulders and are ready to prove they weren’t just along for the ride the last three years.”

The game can be heard on WJPA AM 1450 as Bob Gregg and Mark Uriah have all of the action