Varsity Blog "programming" note. I will have a live blog from tonight's West Mifflin vs. South Fayette WPIAL basketball playoff game, and from tomorrow's Fox Chapel-Hempfield game. I like to include  score updates from other games. If you have a score update, tweet @mwhiteburgh or tweet with #wpial. To email score updates, send to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I would say West Mifflin vs. South Fayette is one of the most interesting first-round boys playoff games tonight. Ambridge vs. Montour also is a little intriguing.

West Mifflin-South Fayette is interesting in this respect. Both coaches have sons playing who lead the teams in scoring. For West Mifflin, it's coach Lance Maha and son, Ryan. For South Fayette, it's coach Rich Bonnaure and son, Evan.

I wonder if senior guard Zach Challingsworth might end up having a big impact on this game for South Fayette. He is a Pitt football recruit.

Rankings

LLhoops.com has released its state rankings for this week. These are done regardless of classification.

Here are the Harrisburg Patriot-News/Pennlive.com state rankings for boys basketball. Someone asked me recently why I never put the girls state rankings on this blog. The Patriot-News stopped doing girls state rankings this season.

CLASS AAAA

 

No.  School                                        Rec    Pvs

1.     Chester (1)                                  20-3      1

2.     Lower Merion (1)                          22-2      2

3.     Harrisburg (3)                              22-2      3

4.     McCaskey (3)                               23-2      4

5.     New Castle (7)                             22-0      5

6.     Cathedral Prep (10)                      20-2      6

7.     Williamsport (4)                           19-2      7

8.     St. Joseph’s Prep (12)                   19-4      8

9.     Martin Luther King (12)                 23-2      9

10.   York (3)                                       23-2    10

Honorable mention: Abington (1) 19-4, Central Bucks South (1) 15-8, Coatesville (1) 19-6, Freedom (11) 15-8, Gateway (7) 15-5, Great Valley (1) 24-1, Hampton (7) 19-4, Hatboro-Horsham (1) 18-5, Liberty (11) 17-7, Methacton (1) 21-4, Norristown (1) 20-3, North Allegheny (7) 19-3, Parkland (11) 17-7, Penn Wood (1) 16-7, Pocono Mountain West (11) 20-4, Ridley (1) 18-7, Roman Catholic (12) 18-5, Seneca Valley (7) 16-7, Souderton (1) 16-7, State College (6) 15-7, Upper Darby (1) 16-7, Upper St. Clair (7) 20-3.

 

CLASS AAA

 

No.  School                                             Rec     Pvs

1.     Imhotep Charter (12)                        21-4        1

2.     Neumann-Goretti (12)                       18-5        2

3.     Allentown Central Cath (11)               20-3        3

4.     Archbishop Carroll  (12)                     19-4        4

5.     Susquehanna Twp (3)                        22-2        5

6.     Abington Heights (2)                          21-2        6

7.     Mars (7)                                           19-3        7

8.     Berks Catholic (3)                              22-3        8

9.     Chartiers Valley (7)                            19-3        9

10.   Montour (7)                                       18-4      10

Honorable mention: Beaver Area (7) 17-3, Bishop McDevitt (3) 16-6, Central Valley (7) 16-6, Danville (4) 19-4, Donegal (3) 23-1, GAR Memorial (2) 14-8, General McLane (10) 17-5, Gettysburg (3) 16-7, Girard (10) 18-4, Glen Mills (1) 13-9, Greencastle-Antrim (3) 16-5, Hickory (10) 19-3, Holy Ghost Prep (1) 17-7, Palmyra (3) 15-7, Philly Electrical (12) 14-11, Pottsville (11) 20-4, Steel-High (3) 19-5, Thomas Jefferson (7) 16-6, Uniontown (7) 16-3, West Mifflin (7) 16-5, Wilson Area (11) 22-2.

 

CLASS AA

 

No.  School                                            Rec    Pvs

1.     Beaver Falls (7)                               19-3       1

2.     Greensburg Central Cath (7)             21-1       2

3.     Meyers (2)                                      20-2        3

4.      Jeannette (7)                                  17-4       4

5.     West Middlesex (10)                         19-3       6

6.     Communications Tech (12)               18-6        7

7.     Holy Cross (2)                                 19-5        5

8.     Trinity (3)                                        16-6       8

9.     Loyalsock (4)                                   21-3       9

10.   Lewisburg (4)                                  21-3      10

Honorable mention: Bald Eagle Area (6) 20-2, Bellwood-Antis (6) 20-3, Bishop McCort (6) 15-7, Calvary Christian (1) 19-6, Catasauqua (11) 16-6, Constitution (12) 16-9, Dunmore (2) 14-7, Elk Lake (2) 18-4, Lakeview (10) 19-3, Mercyhurst Prep (10) 15-7, Mid Valley (2) 20-4, Notre Dame-Green Pond (11) 13-10, Penn Cambria (6) 17-4, Quaker Valley (7) 18-4, Riverside (2) 15-7, Seton-La Salle (7) 20-2, Sto-Rox (7) 14-8, Tyrone (6) 17-5, Wellsboro (4) 21-1.

 

CLASS A

 

No.  School                                                   Rec    Pvs

1.     Vaux (12)                                              18-7       2

2.     Math, Civics & Sciences (12)                    23-2       1

3.     Lincoln Park (7)                                      17-5       3

4.     Vincentian (7)                                         22-1       5

5.     Church Farm (1)                                     18-6       4

6.     Bishop Carroll (6)                                   19-4       6

7.     Johnsonburg (9)                                     22-2       7

8.     Smethport (9)                                        21-1       9

9.     Ridgway (9)                                           19-4       8

10.   St. John Neumann (4)                             21-2      10

Honorable mention: A-C Valley (9) 19-4, Bishop Guilfoyle (6) 17-5, Clairton (7) 14-6, Clarion (9) 15-7, Delco Christian (1) 17-7, Elk County Catholic (9) 18-6, Greenwood (3) 19-3, Homer-Center (6) 17-5, Kennedy Catholic (10) 15-5, Lebanon Catholic (3) 15-7, Lourdes Regional (4) 17-5, Mahanoy Area (11) 18-5, Marian Catholic (11) 17-5, Muncy (4) 16-6, New Hope Academy (3) 16-4, North Catholic (7) 15-5, North Clarion (9) 22-1, Our Lady of Sacred Heart (7) 19-4, Pius X (11) 18-2, Sankofa (12) 13-11, Shade (5) 22-1, Shanksville-Stonycreek (5) 19-3, Sullivan County (4) 20-2, Union Area (7

North Hills High School stayed in house to find Jack McCurry's successor.

Pat Carey was hired tonight as North Hills' new football coach. It is no surprise. He was the logical candidate since McCurry retired last month after coaching the Indians since 1978.

It seems like a good move for North Hills. Carey is highly-respected among his coaching peers for his work as North Hills' defensive coordinator. He was the DC for the past 15 years and a North Hills assistant for 19 years overall.

Carey was a running back-defensive back on the legendary 1987 North Hills team that was ranked No. 1 in the country by USA Today. He went on to play at James Madison.

During his high school days, he also played baseball. Rumor has it that he also played basketball at one time, but I have a hard time believing that (ha ha).

Carey is a physical education teacher at North Hills and said he will most likely continue running North Hills' defense.

*******

After the first few days of the WPIAL basketball playoffs ..... I'm just sayin'

Before we get to some talk about 'on-the-court happenings,' here is a light-hearted side to the playoffs.

Shoutouts to the Montour and Vincentian boys teams for gettin' to it with "Harlem Shake" videos.  The "Harlem Shake" videos are sweeing the country with sports teams from youth to pro. Montour and Vincentian sent me their videos, and I must say, they had me laughing out loud.

Seeing Montour's Devin Wilson shaking his legs wildly while hanging on the rim was priceless. Whoever had the Gatorade cooler on their head is my man. I love the kid bouncing on the green ball, and who is on the "dolly?" Great stuff. Coach Adam Kaufman can only hope his team's play will be this good in the playoffs.

Then there is the Vincentian "Harlem Shake." Whoever is dancing in the "hula" skirt on the wall has some moves. Check out this "Royal" treatment of the "Harlem Shake."

***** But not all "Harlem Shake" videos have been so terrific to watch. In fact, teams better be careful they don't go overboard. One high school hockey team in New York was forced to drop out of the playoffs because of a "Harlem Shake" video that was, let's say, a little too risque. A cooperative sponsorship team of Nyack and Tappan high schools apparently went a little too far with the "Harlem Shake" video. In part of the video, there is a player wearing only a sock, and it wasn't on either foot.

***** Now onto some thoughts about things on the court. I'd say if Seneca Valley plays Central Catholic 10 times, no way does Seneca Valley win by 31 points like it did in a first-round game Saturday. It was one of those horrible games for Central Catholic while Seneca Valley played really well.

But do't get the wrong impression. Seneca Valley is good. The Raiders' size in their zone defenses can cause problems and when R.J. McCauley and Easton Bazzoli are making outside shots, they are a tough team to beat. Remember, Seneca Valley is a team that won AT Hampton by 22 points.

***** If I ever get stopped in a dark alley by strangers, I want Seneca Valley's R.J. McCauley with me.

***** Did you know the eight 3-pointers made by Upper St. Clair's Joel Klein in Saturday's first-round game against Norwin tied a Class AAAA playoff record? Connellsville's Johnny Leonard made eight 3-pointers against Pine-Richland in 2011.

The overall playoff record for most 3-pointers in a game is 10 by Neshannock's Kevin Covert in 1995 Class A game against Clairton.

The 13 3-pointers Upper St. Clair made overall in the game was only two short of the WPIAL playoff team record of 15 by Chartiers Valley against North Allegheny in 2005.

***** Western Beaver's Nick Miller scored 43 points in a first-round loss to Vincentian. That is the third-most ever in a Class A playoff game. Covert scored 46 in that 1995 game against Clairton.

***** For some teams that play Tuesday and Wednesday, it is almost two weeks since they played a game. Can you say rusty?

***** I don't know what the Central Catholic fan was saying from the stands to Seneca Valley coach Victor Giannotta during Saturday's game, but Giannotta was just a little upset about it. Enough so that in the second half, Giannotta called on WPIAL officials about the fan. Giannotta had no comment after the game about the incident.

***** I'm going to say the best playoff game tomorrow night is West Mifflin vs. South Fayette at Baldwin. I will be there. I'll be at Fox Chapel-Hempfield Wednesday at Gateway. Will the great Fox Chapel student section be as strong for a playoff game? I want to see.

***** Section 1 has not fared well in the playoffs in recent years, but the top teams in Class AAAA Section 1 this year are legit and better than people think. Kiski Area and Hempfield tied for the Section 1 title. 

***** Let's not forget about the City League. Boys semifinals are tonight. Championship is Saturday - for boys and girls.

The WPIAL basketball playoffs start tonight - my favorite time of the sports year. By the time we get to the quarterfinals, gyms start to get packed, student sections come out in full force, fans are loud, parents lose their minds, coaches lose their minds, fans complain about everything from officials calls to game sites - and I love it all.

Here are some news, notes and quotes about the playoffs, followed by predictions for games tonight and tomorrow:

The story of three teams from WPIAL Class AAAA Section 3 getting the top three seeds has been well documented. Some other things we learned this week, though:

***** Chartiers Valley got the No. 1 seed over Mars in Class AAA boys because, as WPIAL basketball chairperson Dan O'Neil said, "We didn't know which way to go there and it came down to strength of schedule and the strength of the section. The other thing in Triple-A, we didn't know what to do with was Beaver and Central Valley. Did we want them in the four and five seeds and maybe play in the quarterfinals? Or do we want them split up? We decided they are probably the fourth and fifth best teams, so let's have them maybe play in the quarterfinals."

***** Mars coach Rob Carmody had no problem with Chartiers Valley getting the No. 1 seed: "Just the history and tradition of Chartiers Valley alone, and what they've done this year, obviously factors into it, and it should. They have a great history and we don't. [Chartiers Valley coach Tim McConnell] is the class of coaches in the WPIAL, too. So it doesn't bother me one bit that they got the No. 1 seed. A 2 seed validates a great regular season. Two is the highest we've ever been, so we're thrilled by it."

***** The WPIAL basketball committee debated whether to make Beaver Falls or Greensburg Central Catholic the No. 1 seed in Class AA. "We thought Beaver Falls had a little tougher schedule than Greensburg Central Catholic did."

***** The WPIAL doesn't take into consideration Monday non-section games at all. For example, Upper St. Clair boys beat Chartiers Valley Monday night, and the Chartiers Valley girls beat North Allegheny. But those games didn't factor into playoff seedings.

"It's all done Monday afternoon at 2 or 3," O'Neil said. "It would be too much to go in Tuesday and re-arrange things. Some coaches approach those Monday games a little differently. Some only play their top guys for a quarter or two. Some go all out. I think most coaches know that those Monday games are not going to matter.

"The only time I ever remember us changing a bracket on Tuesday was one time we learned the bracket had been leaked by someone. Someone knew who they were playing and went out and scouted that team Monday night. So we went in Tuesday and changed it."

Predictions

Here are my picks for games tonight and tomorrow. I will be at East Allegheny vs. Ambridge tonight and Central Catholic vs. Seneca Valley tomorrow. Let's get to it.

BOYS

Class AAAA - Upper St. Clair over Norwin; Central Catholic over Seneca Valley; Hampton over Mt. Lebanon; McKeesport over Bethel Park.

Class AAA - Mount Pleasant over Knoch; Elizabeth Forward over Indiana; Kittanning over Yough; Steel Valley over South Park; Ambridge over East Allegheny.

Class AA - Charleroi over Bishop Canevin; California over Brentwood; Deer Lakes over Shady Side Academy; Aliquippa over Avonworth; Neshannock over Apollo-Ridge; Brownsville over Northgate; Burrell over Beth-Center; Washington over Jefferson-Morgan; Serra over Mohawk; Riverside over West Shamokin.

Class A - Leechburg over Mapletown; Union over Quigley; Clairton over St. Joseph; Vincentian over Western Beaver; Monessen over Sewickley Academy; North Catholic over rochester; OLSH over Trinity Christian.

GIRLS

Class AAAA - Franklin Regional over Albert Gallatin; Baldwin over Latrobe; Norwin over Penn Hills; Hempfield over Upper St. Clair; Chartiers Valley over Shaler.

Class AAA - West Mifflin over Kittanning; South Fayette over Freeport; Keystone Oaks over Mount Pleasant; Indiana over Ringgold.

Class AA - Ford City over Washington; Beaver Falls over South Side Beaver; OLSH over Riverview; Steel Valley over Avonworth; Neshannock over West Shamokin; Beaver over Chartiers-Houston; Charleroi over Carlynton; Riverside over Springdale.

Class A - Clairton over West Greene; Eden Christian over Jefferson-Morgan; Quigley over California; St. Joseph over Avella; North Catholic over Frazier; Carmichaels over Cornell.

Baldwin High School hired Pete Wagner as football coach tonight.

His hiring was part of a strange turn of events at a Baldwin school board meeting tonight. Wagner has been a Baldwin assistant coach. But the Baldwin administration recommended to the Baldwin school board that Greg Perry be hired as coach. Perry has been successful as Seton-LaSalle's coach for the past eight seasons, but the Baldwin board voted, 5-4, against hiring Perry.

The board then turned around and hired Wagner.