The high school football regular season is at the halfway point, and Post-Gazette high school insiders Keith Barnes and Mike White turn professor and give out mid-term grades for student (player) of the half year, teacher (coach) of the half year and more. Peters Township’s Reston Lehman and Lucas Shanafelt get their flowers, but so does Upper St. Clair’s Ethan Hellmann. South Allegheny’s Brian Hanson and Norwin’s Mike Brown get shutouts for their coaching jobs in the first half.

Also, Matt Sieg set a touchdown record last week, so where should he stand among great WPIAL players? Our duo make their picks for the Post-Gazette Fantasy League, and make predictions on this week’s top six games – Upper St. Clair at Peters Township, Central Catholic at North Allegheny, North Catholic at Imani Christian, Aliquippa at New Castle, Bethel Park at Moon and Westinghouse vs. Allderdice in the Pittsburgh City League.

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On the Tuesday edition of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey and insider Ray Fittipaldo gauge the Steelers' growth through three games.

Is coach Mike Tomlin's defense improving, even if it's still giving up too many yards? How encouraged should we be that T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward produced like the stars they're supposed to be in NFL Week 3 against the New England Patriots? Is RB Jaylen Warren's elevated role in the offense a good thing? Do he and fellow RB Kenneth Gainwell have any chance for success behind a struggling offensive line that includes Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu? Have those guys shown progress themselves? And what did we learn about DBs Jaylen Ramsey and Jabrill Peppers in facing Drake Maye and the Patriots? Our duo tackles those questions and more.

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Post-Gazette Pitt insiders Stephen Thompson and Abby Schnable continue to sort through the issues the Panthers' Backyard Brawl loss to West Virginia revealed. And look ahead to the start of ACC play this week against the Louisville Cardinals.

Was Pat Narduzzi's coaching or player execution the bigger issue against the Mountaineers? Can fans reasonably expect the team to improve when veterans like QB Eli Holstein and OL Lyndon Cooper are the guys making the big mistakes? Are there any personnel changes Narduzzi, OC Kade Bell or DC Randy Bates should consider this week? What's Desmond Reid's status at RB? And how does our duo see the WR situation playing out with Blue Hicks and others? Stephen and Abby tackle those questions and more.

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Post-Gazette Pirates beat reporter Noah Hiles names his top five prospects from the team's minor league system this year. Can Brandan Bidois continue to assert himself as a potential MLB arm despite his relative unknown status? Why have Esmerlyn Valdez and Edward Florentino emerged as two of the top hitting prospects in the system? And why were Hunter Barco and Konnor Griffin the obvious top choices as the minor league players of the year? Noah tackles those questions and more.

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On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Christopher Carter & Ray Fittipaldo react to the NFL Week 3 victory against the New England Patriots.

Should coach Mike Tomlin be encouraged that Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, Jabrill Peppers, Cole Holcomb and Brandin Echols were able to generate five turnovers on defense? Or is it a concern that Patriots QB Drake Maye was still able to move the ball in between those big plays? Can this unit really rely on that amount of ball luck in subsequent weeks? Or does DC Teryl Austin still need to figure out how to limit opposing offenses better?

Our duo tackles those questions, then gives thoughts on the offense as well. Does OC Arthur Smith need to consider passing more with Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith to open up running lanes for Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell? Or was the first drive evidence that this unit can run the ball if Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu and the offensive line are performing?

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Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo react to an NFL Week 3 victory against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

They offer thoughts on Aaron Rodgers' inconsistent effort at QB that included touchdowns to Calvin Austin III and DK Metcalf but frustration in between. And a up-and-down day for Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell behind the offensive line led by Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu. Our duo also weighs in on coach Mike Tomlin's defense, which generated five turnovers thanks to names like Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, Cole Holcomb and Jabrill Peppers. But also yielded significant yardage to Patriots QB Drake Maye, signaling that some of the unit's recent woes may be persisting.

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Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Paul Zeise react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 3 matchup with the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

Were Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Keeanu Benton, Jalen Ramsey and coach Mike Tomlin's defense able to bounce back after a couple of rough outings to open the season? Did Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu perform better up front? What chemistry was QB Aaron Rodgers able to establish with receivers including DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith? And where do the team stand with high-profile matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland looming next week? Our duo tackles those questions and more.

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On the Saturday edition of the North Shore Drive podcast, Steelers insiders Christopher Carter and Brian Batko break down the team's Week 3 matchup against the New England Patriots. Will Pittsburgh's defensive struggles and frustrations continue to build against an upstart offense led by Drake Maye, TreVeyon Henderson and Stefon Diggs, or will we continue to see inefficiency from the likes of T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward? Will Mike Tomlin also make the necessary adjustments in the secondary to prevent deep completions that have been allowed so far by the likes of Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr.? Our guys wrap up with their final Week 3 predictions, and whether they believe the Steelers can get back to above .500 before their Ireland trip. For more sports, visit post-gazette.com.

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Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey joins host Adam Bittner to ponder the future of Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi after the Panthers' Backyard Brawl loss to West Virginia. Should Narduzzi's job be in jeopardy after dropping such a winnable rivalry game? What are AD Allen Greene's options realistic options considering Narduzzi's sizable buyout? And how much is Pitt's casual fan base a problem in terms of building a sustainable program?

Our duo tackles those questions, the impact Desmond Reid's injury could have on QB Eli Holstein and OC Kade Bell's offense and the top storylines we're following with an eye toward ACC play next week.

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On the Friday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, host Adam Bittner welcomes Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey to analyze the Steelers' recurring communication issues.

How much blame does coach Mike Tomlin deserve for them? Are they becoming a stale excuse for him? Is his scheme the problem considering they've persisted after names like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Donte Jackson were swapped out for guys like Jalen Ramsey, Juan Thornhill and Darius Slay Jr. this offseason? Or does Tomlin need another assistant to help sort these issues out?

Our guys tackle those questions, as well as T.J. Watt's lack of sacks through two games. Are those excusing the production by citing his pressure rate using the same arguments they've dismissed about Myles Garrett's performance with the Cleveland Browns for years? Should those pressures eventually open up opportunities to Jack Sawyer, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig to finish plays? And how much should Watt's gaudy offseason contract be part of the conversation?

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