This is the part of football that is unfair, the time when risk defeats reward, when you realize why these young men wear all those cumbersome pads and a professionally staffed ambulance is parked somewhere in the vicinity of every field Friday nights.

This is the part of football that stinks -- but it is the undeniable reality.

Injuries happen and one happened this past Friday night to Pine-Richland senior quarterback/linebacker Vinny Nittoli that, if you have a heart, it surely aches for him right now.

I know mine does.

In Pine-Richland's first offensive series in a non-conference loss at Montour, Nittoli went out with what Rams coach Clair Altemus confirmed is a broken leg. Nittoli, more than likely, will miss the rest of the season.

The sting of missing a season would be tough on any young man, but especially difficult considering all that Nittoli had done to prepare for this one.

Everyone pointed to Nittoli -- along with senior running back/defensive back Ian Hennessy -- as the heart and soul of the Rams heading into the season, and not for just how they performed with the ball in their hands or when they were running down a ballcarrier.

This season, Nittoli was a pivotal piece who was going to help blaze a path for the future of Pine-Richland's program as it steps up in classification, making its initial foray into Class AAAA.

He worked his tail off in camp, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

He grew from a first-year starting quarterback last season who was a bit timid in the huddle, to someone who had full command of his teammates and a noticeable swagger as camp broke.

But in one instant, with one bone in his lower body being contorted the way it was never meant to be pressured, it all came crashing down.

For a kid who worked so hard, a kid who elevated himself to one of the leaders among the programs in the area, it just doesn't seem fair.

Hang in there, Vinny.

Seneca Valley's senior pitch-and-catch tandem of quarterback C.J. Brown and receiver Matt Plautz came into the season with much acclaim -- and rightly so.

Then the pair went out and performed more than admirably in Week 1. There was just one problem -- for all the numbers they put up, they couldn't lead the Raiders to victory.

Seneca Valley fell in its opener, 17-14, against Norwin.

In the loss, Brown and Plautz topped the WPIAL in their respective categories on the night. Brown threw for a WPIAL-best 301 yards and completed 21 of 38 pass. Plautz pulled in eight passes for 141 yards, a yardage total that led all receivers in the WPIAL in Week 1.

The Springdale Dynamos, who were ranked No. 3 by the Post-Gazette in the preseason, came into this season with a certain degree of hype ... most of which was warranted.

The Dynamos lost a close game to Serra Catholic last November at Heinz Field for the WPIAL Class A championship. With a large and experienced nucleus returning, it seemed only natural to expect plenty from veteran coach Chuck Wagner's team this season.

But the Dynamos stumbled out of the gate last Friday, losing to a strong Monaca team, 21-13. Springdale struggled all night offensively, gaining just 51 yards.

Springdale will try to right the ship Saturday when it travels to another Beaver County school -- Western Beaver -- for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff.

Upper St. Clair's Jim Render is in the early stages of his 40th season as a head coach, and will bring his team north tomorrow night to play Pine-Richland in a non-conference clash of two Class AAAA teams.

While he spoke of the concern his has in playing an unfamiliar opponents, Render made a point to heap praise on the venue at Pine-Richland.

"What I know about Pine-Richland is that everyone else is envious of the stadium they have there and it will be very nice to play there," Render said. "Their school board had some foresight, a lot of foresight when they built that place. It is kind of like Yankee Stadium or Ohio Stadium in that it is a place that, when it was built, was very much ahead of its time."

North Allegheny's reaction.

The Tigers went all the way to Altoona last week, only to lose, 28-21, at Mansion Park Stadium on a late interception return.

While any loss stings, North Allegheny's team should realize the game essentially meant nothing in terms of the totality of the season.

When coach Art Walker's team plays host to Mt. Lebanon tomorrow night, it will be interesting to see if the Tigers have, in fact, forgotten about last week.