Every week your Pennlive.com High School Football Team will each offer a trio of tasty tidbits we affectionately call What's Not-What's Not.
HOT LIST
No. 1: Not a single down of real football has been played, but I believe spectators are in store for a most entertaining season in Class AAA football. It's no secret Bishop McDevitt is capable of playing a role, and old nemesis Archbishop Wood seems well-equipped to make a third straight trip to Hershey. Funny thing is, I think three additional programs, all of them outside of District 3, have the potential to upstage both 2011 finalists.
No. 2: The National Federation of State High School Associations announced recently that one million online concussion courses have been taken by coaches. The NFHS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the course in 2010. While a good chunk of that million are football coaches, the NFHS also said many school administrators, parents and students have joined in. That's great news.
No. 3: Even though guys like Mike Berry, Aaron Blanding and Mike Whitehead have been around Mid-Penn Conference football for years, we wanted to officially welcome those new head coaches who will hit the sidelines on Friday night. Middletown's Brett Myers and Garrett Mowery, two MPC alums, also qualify. A few nervous moments are expected, guys, but that's not a bad thing.
NOT HOT LIST
No. 1: There's another, more detrimental side to running no-huddle offenses. Obviously, some head coaches are convinced they own the right personnel to deploy a no-huddle offense. But I'm hearing a few smaller programs are considering, meaning those already-stretched two-way players will have to work at an even higher pace on one side of the football. I understand the reasoning, but I've also seen fatigue play a role in injuries, and that's something all thin-rostered programs can't afford.
No. 2: It's hard enough to open the regular season on the road. Because of a scheduling quirk, Susquehanna Twp. will take four road trips before hosting its first game at Roscoe Warner Field. Granted, the Indians week 2 scrum at CD East is hardly a overnighter, but after sessions at Spring Grove, Greencastle-Antrim and Palmyra, Joe Headen & Co. will be more than happy to host rival Bishop McDevitt on Sept. 27.
No. 3: While every game counts when it comes to the District 3 power ratings, it's important not to get carried away with a team's “number” until at least week 7. After all, if a team is playing its best football near the end of the regular season – isn't the the goal? – then a program's seed hardly matters. Besides, the longer we can avoid questions on the math, the better.
On Twitter: @threejacker