Alright so I actually wanted to figure out where my old high school’s team really stands this year, right? Everyone kept gossiping but nobody had solid numbers. Heard so many wild guesses about Grove City High’s football rankings that I decided to just hunt it down myself.
The Frustrating Search Begins
First, I tried Google. Typed in stuff like “Grove City football records 2024” and “WPIAL class 5A rankings.” Man, useless. Either buried under news sites paywalling articles or ancient forum posts from like 2018. Clicked through pages feeling like I wasted coffee time.
Then, remembered the WPIAL site usually posts standings. Dug around their terrible navigation menus forever – finally found the section, but surprise! Nothing about specific rankings, just win-loss records and conference names. So they’re 6-2? Cool, but WHERE do they rank against others? Crickets.
Making My Own Damn Spreadsheet
Got stubborn. Opened Sheets and started listing every WPIAL Class 5A team myself based on conference reports. Copied:
- Team names
- Win/Loss counts
- Points scored vs allowed
- Last three game results
Felt like doing homework again. Took forever cross-checking ESPN’s scoreboard with random local sports blogs cause some sites had typos in scores!
Sorted teams by wins first… then by points difference when wins tied… and bam. Found Grove City sitting 4th in our class. Seriously? Higher than anyone at the diner guessed.
The Big Reveal (To Myself)
Checked strength-of-schedule too using WPIAL’s opponents’ records. They played tougher teams than #3 Armstrong but lost two close ones. Explains why polls underrate them.
Called up my buddy who coaches JV there. He laughed. “Yeah, nobody looks past the two losses. But watch our defense – best in 15 years. Just needs offense to click.” That tracks.
So, final conclusion? Top 5 material if they fix redzone plays. Definitely playoff-bound. Proof is in my messy spreadsheet nobody else cared to build.
Why bother? My nephew’s on special teams. Kid keeps saying “we’re underdogs” – nope. They’re contenders. Now I’ve got the data to back his confidence.
