Looking ahead to Week 5 football

Looking ahead to this weekend's football games, here are four questions - and answers - for you to ponder:

Question: What are the top area games to watch in Week No. 5?

Answer: There's not an especially intriguing lineup of league matchups, but there are a few:

1. No. 3 St. Joseph's Prep (3-1, 1-0) vs. Father Judge (4-0, 1-0), at Northeast, Friday at 7 p.m. The Hawks are fresh off a miraculous, come-from behind win over archrival La Salle. They scored two touchdowns in the last minute-and-a-half to somehow emerge from Plymouth Whitemarsh with a 24-17 victory. The thrilling victory did not come without a cost. Senior tailback Garrett Compton, the squad's leading rusher, injured his left medial collateral ligament in the third quarter. He is to be examined this week. If he can't go against Judge, look for more of junior Spencer Reid, son of the Philadelphia Eagles head coach. The Crusaders enter the Division AAAA contest against the Prep with a perfect record. If the Hawks don't come down to earth after the La Salle win, Judge, behind workhorse tailback Curtis Wortham and junior quarterback Tony Smith, could pull off the upset. Prep has struggled to defend the pass, so Smith could do plenty of damage.

2. Northeast (2-2, 1-0 at No. 9 George Washington (3-1, 1-0), Friday at 3 p.m. The Washington Eagles are soaring high. Following their 16-0 loss to Parkland, a District 11 power, they have outscored three foes by a combined 112-39. In a 41-10 romp against Overbrook, senior QB Aaron Wilmer passed for 100-plus yards for the third straight time. Northeast, guided by first-year coach Chris Riley, has revenge in mind in this Public League Red Division clash. In last year's league final, Washington outlasted the Vikings, 41-34, in a triple overtime. Last week, in a 27-16 division win against previously undefeated Bartram, Eric Hines, Tyleel Taylor and QB Malik Stokes combined for 237 rushing yards.

Question: Speaking of Washington, what is the recruiting status of a 6-foot-3, 310-pound lineman Sharrif Floyd?

Answer: At halftime of Friday's blowout of Overbrook, Floyd left at halftime and headed for USC. He visited Urban Meyer and defending national champion Florida the week before. The next schools on his list to visit are Penn State, South Carolina and North Carolina. He said that four other schools – Boston College, Cincinnati, Ohio State and Rutgers – are also in the mix. By the way, the big guy plans to major in electrical engineering in college.

Questions: What are a few other league matchups worth seeing?

Answer: Here are three:

1. Hatboro-Horsham (2-2, 1-0) at Quakertown (4-0, 1-0), Suburban One League Continental Conference, Friday at 7 p.m.

2. Springfield-Delco (2-2, 1-2) at Garnet Valley (3-1, 2-1), Central League, Friday at 7 p.m.

3. Council Rock North (3-0, 1-0) at No. 2 Pennsbury (4-0, 1-0), Suburban One League National Conference, Friday at 7 p.m.

Question: What was last weekend's best coaching quote?

Answer: This is what St. Joe's Prep coach Gil Brooks said to his players after the Hawks' come-from-behind win over La Salle: "I don't know how we won, but we won."