As the Southmoreland football team faces new changes in the form of new section opponents after the recent WPIAL realignment plus the hiring of new head coach Mr. David Keefer, conversation has started to arise on who the team will oppose in the opening game of the 2018 season.
During what is called “week zero,” each school has the option to kick the season off with two scrimmages or one scrimmage and an opening game. This decision is ultimately up to each individual school. It has been decided the 2018 season will begin with a scrimmage and an opening game.
Southmoreland is said to have two strong candidates for this opening game, Yough and Mt. Pleasant. Both are in class AAA, but Southmoreland will now compete in a different AA conference.
With the official WPIAL schedule coming out next week, deciding on which school Southmoreland will open with will depend on who is assigned to the cross section games, which are two games randomly picked from another schedule to complete the 10-game season. If one of the two schools are picked in the cross section game, Southmoreland will chose the one who is not. If neither are picked, the decision will be made by the administration and the new head coach, Dave Keefer, based on the most beneficial option.
Between current students, staff, and alumni, mixed opinions have been presented. Yough has been favored more due to previous games and how close they were in score. As far as Mt.Pleasant, the traditional rivalry will bring in a big crowd and, for a first game, can be beneficial. Despite an “informal” vote on Facebook, a final decision will be made after the WPIAL schedule is released.