Bye week beneficial for Leopards

By JEREMY SELLEW

jsellew@yourmvi.com

The WPIAL football playoffs begin Friday and Belle Vernon Area head coach Matt Humbert likes exactly where his team is as kickoff against No. 5 seed Chartiers Valley looms.

The Leopards, seeded fourth, host the Colts for a 7 p.m. kickoff on “The Beach” at James Weir Stadium.

It’s the Colts second visit of the season to Belle Vernon, the first came as a scrimmage Sept. 4.

“Watching the film of them this season, they haven’t changed what they do from that scrimmage,” Humbert said. “There is some familiarity there. Offensively, they’re getting a lot of attention. They have a few different schemes that are tricky to defend. They run a read-option mixed with a run-pass option, so it’s going to be all hands on deck defensively.”

The Colts (6-1) suffered their only loss three weeks ago at Aliquippa (35-6). They’re led by quarterback Anthony Mackey, who has thrown for 941 yards on the season and is completing 70% of his passes with 10 touchdowns. He’s the team’s second-leading rusher with 90 carries for 516 yards.

“He’s someone we need to keep our eyes on. He’s a good runner, can throw accurately and really allows them to run a great screen game. Like Devin (Whitlock), he’s a dual-threat kid and is very elusive.”

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