It's the final week of non-district play for the six Dogwood Circle schools that play 11-man football, and no one wants to ponder a loss for a single week, let alone two.
That being said, plenty of local squads take on some tremendous opponents this week and, if nothing else, we'll get to see what these teams are truly made of.
On the season, I'm 13-12 picking high school, which shows how much I know I guess.
Without further adieu, let's go:
Athens (3-1) at PALESTINE (2-2)
The Wildcats are no doubt still riding high from last week's come-from-behind victory over Mabank, a win that could be the kind of thing needed to galvanize this young squad moving forward. Athens is riding some momentum of its own in the form of a three-game winning streak. In that streak, the Hornets have only given up 19 points (7 to Spring Hill and 12 to Diboll). It'll be a tough-test for Palestine, one I think they can pass without winning.
My Pick: Athens 43, Palestine 31
Rusk (0-4) at WESTWOOD (1-3)
Like I said in my preview story for this game in Thursday's paper, don't let the combined 1-7 record fool you. These two teams could easily be 5-3 or 6-2 had breaks gone another way in a couple of games. But, they didn't and so, they aren't. But, both teams are pretty good football teams that could challenge for third playoff spots in their district's and tonight will be a good test for each. Westwood was set to win this game last year on a last second field goal, but the kick was blocked.
My Pick: Westwood 47, Rusk 29
ELKHART (3-1) at Mildred (4-0)
No team should find out more about itself this week than Elkhart, who travel to state-ranked Mildred to take on the Eagles in the Elks first big test of 2011. In their only other road game this year, Elkhart fell to Centerville, but John Adair and Co. still feel like that's one that got away. The styles are conflicting: Mildred is pass happy while Elkhart wants to run, run, run. Like Palestine, I think Elkhart can pass this test even in a loss.
My Pick: Mildred 34, Elkhart 27
FRANKSTON (1-3) at Crockett (2-1)
Crockett got a big boost going into this matchup earlier today with the news that star Dominique Wheeler is expected to play. Frankston finally found the win column last week, and no doubt wants to build on that win over Alto. That being said, Crockett will be a tough test for a young Indian defense still trying to find itself.
My Pick: Crockett 53, Frankston 41
CAYUGA (1-3) at Colmesneil (1-3)
The Wildcats also found the win column for the first time in 2011 last week, but unlike Frankston, their Week 4 test shouldn't be near as tough. The hardest part of it all may in fact be the trip to Colmesneil, which is south of Zavalla and north of Woodville on Hwy. 69. The Wildcats are banged up and without two of their top defenders, but should still pull this one out.
My Pick: Cayuga 30, Colmesneil 20
GRAPELAND (1-3) at Buffalo (3-1)
Grapeland is a team battling injuries, including one to their quarterback. Buffalo is a team coming off of its first loss of the year. It's also homecoming. Expect the Bison to come in inspired and ready to run the ball heavily against a Grapeland defense that has struggled to stop the run all season long. The best news for Grapeland will be to get out of this one without further injuries.
My Pick: Buffalo 51, Grapeland 13
OAKWOOD (3-0) at Rockwall Heritage Christian (2-2)
The Panthers are a team on a roll, especially offensively. That being said, I'm sure they're licking their chops to take on a Rockwall Heritage Christian team that has given up more than 40 points per game already this season. Expect the Oakwood winning streak to hit four.
My Pick: Oakwood 76, Rockwall 30
No comments:
Post a Comment