"Mr. High School Sports" - Friday Night Spotlights: Terrific Terps Lead Central into Wolvarena
By Matt Popchock
Pittsburgh Central Catholic quarterback Perry Hills and top receiver Anthony Nixon are each a year away from playing in the ACC, part of a college football landscape that is changing at a dizzying rate.
They have fueled an offense that is eating up yardage at a dizzying rate, but if they're not at the top of their collective game come Friday, their season could turn at a dizzying rate.
Both seniors have committed to Maryland, and both are committed to helping Central Catholic realize the dreams it fell just short of last season, but first comes a potentially perilous trip to The Wolvarena.
This Class AAAA Big East Conference contest has "trap game" written all over it for the Vikings. They enter Week 4 the top-ranked team in the state, and one of the top-ranked teams nationally. However, if there's one team besides Central that has been a WPIAL flag-bearer in this conference, it's the Wolverines.
Nixon tops his team with 282 yards receiving and four touchdowns on 14 catches. He's also a fleet-footed defensive back who will likely be assigned to Shakim Alonzo, the Wolverines' most dangerous receiver.
"Mr. High School Sports" caught up with him to talk about his role in Central Catholic's early success on both sides of the ball, his chemistry with Hills, and what made him want to play for the Terps:
Podcast
How good is he, and for that matter, how good is tailback and fellow senior Damion Jones-Moore? Even Hills marvels at their athleticism.
He's thrown for 409 yards and five TD's thus far, and he also joined "Mr. High School Sports" to help break down his own team's dynamic offense. Hills also talked about what it means to play for that program, and what it will take to survive the 2011 campaign, let alone Week 4:
Podcast
Kickoff is 7:00 P.M. Friday on SportsRadio 93.7 The Fan, with Lanny Frattare and Bob Orkwis on the call. Pre-game coverage with Don Rebel of the MSA Sports Network begins at 6:00 P.M.
For more on this and the rest of the big Week 4 games, be sure to check out the "Mr. High School Sports" blog Friday afternoon, and be sure to listen to "The UPMC Centers for Rehab Services High School Football Show" Saturday at 7:00 A.M., as Woodland Hills head coach George Novak is scheduled to appear.
(Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/mpopchock)
