I finished 23-1 last week. I should have known that Benedictine would win. Heck, I've seen them play twice this year, I know what they're capable of. I overrated NDCL a little bit. My season record through 9 weeks is now 193-32, and I'm 34-2 on spotlight games. This week's picks:
LAKE COUNTY GAME OF THE WEEK: North at South. All eyes will be on this Thursday night matchup, the biggest North-South game in years. North wants this one bad-they've been pointing to it since August. A win for the Rangers would snap a 7-game losing streak to the Rebels, and just might put them into the D1 playoffs for the first time. For South, the winning streak against North is on the line, as well as a 21-game PAC winning streak. The Rebels can win the PAC outright for the 4th straight year, and a win could give them a home game in the playoffs. The game will be shown on Fox Sports Ohio. This game should live up to hype. I can see it going down to the last minute, where the winner will be......Pick: South
ASHTABULA COUNTY GAME OF THE WEEK: University Prep (PA) at Jefferson. Here's a pretty big game that will be played at Falcon Pride Stadium on Saturday night. Ashtabula County high school football fans that gather for this one will see a 7-1 team against a 7-2 team. Jefferson has a chance to make the D3 playoffs with a victory. I know nothing about the Pennsylvania team, but their record says they must be pretty good. Nevertheless, I'll go with the Falcons, and we'll have to wait and see on the playoffs. Pick: Jefferson
GEAUGA COUNTY GAME OF THE WEEK: Berkshire at Cardinal. The Badgers are just 4-5, and the Huskies are even worse at 1-8, but I'll take this bitter rivalry over Lakeside-Chardon and Kirtland-Newbury, which are the other two games being played in the county. All the usual cliches apply-throw the records out the window, etc. The Badgers have won two in a row, but a third win here would be the sweetest-especially after losing to the Huskies last year. Pick: Berkshire
EASTERN CUYAHOGA COUNTY GAME OF THE WEEK: Perry at Chagrin Falls. What's at stake here? For Perry, it's an opportunity to finish the season at .500, and a chance to end the season on a really high note and build some momentum for next year with a major season-ending upset. For Chagrin Falls, it's a chance to run the table for the second season in a row, and win the outright CVC Chagrin title again. The playoffs are already a lock, but the ultra-focused Tigers will prevail again at home. Pick: Chagrin Falls
The rest of the schedule:
FRIDAY NIGHT:
Fairport over Richmond Hts.-A .500 season for the Skippers will be a nice accomplishment for junior-heavy team.
Orange over Harvey-Someone will break a long losing streak here; Lions are the better bet.
Kirtland over Newbury-The Hornets will their 25th straight regular season game, and 25th straight in the Valley, and 7th straight Valley Division Championship.
Lake Catholic over Avon-Cougars will deal Eagles their first loss.
Madison over Riverside-Blue Streaks will take 4th straight over Eastern Lake County rivals.
Mentor over Twinsburg-Some are on upset alert here; I wouldn't be.
Wickliffe over Hawken-Blue Devils can snap a streak of 7 straight losing seasons; Hawks have yet to beat Wickliffe in football.
Edgewood over Conneaut-Warriors should roll over struggling Spartans
University over Geneva-Preppers got wake-up call last week in barely edging Chardon
Chardon over Lakeside-Improving Hilltoppers could make some noise next year
Pymatuning Valley over Vienna Mathews-7-3 makes for a pretty good season for the Lakers
Aurora over Kenston-Big game in Portage County; Greenmen get revenge for last year
Ledgemont over Southington-Redskins make it two 10-0 seasons in a row.
Walsh Jesuit over NDCL-Things were looking good for Lions just a few weeks ago.
Benedictine over Columbus DeSales-Stallions have played tough schedule and could win this one, but I don't want to pick against Bengals again.
Brush over Garfield Hts-This would give the Arcs outright NOC Lake title and a .500 season.
Euclid over Bedford-Old GCC matchup should be a good one; Panthers by a touchdown
Mayfield over Elyria-Wildcats still have an outside shot at the playoffs; need to beat 7-2 Pioneers and get help.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON:
Grand Valley over Lutheran East-Mustangs will at least achieve winning season.
West Geauga over Beachwood-Wolverines will have a good idea by the time this game starts what D2 playoff situation will look like, they'll beat Bison no matter what.
VASJ over Gilmour-Vikings still have outside shot at playoffs, winning season still good either way.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Bonus Pick
St.Ignatius over St.Edward-Eagles will probably be the favorite, as they should be, but just a hunch.
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