Pigskin Pick’Em: Week No. 2

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

Week No. 2 of the high school football season is here and that means the start of Western Buckeye League play. It also brings with it some interesting and potentially very entertaining non-conference games to the area. Next week, the MAC will begin conference play and the NWC will start conference games the week after that.

Last week I managed to go 25-6 (80.6 percent, which isn’t bad for Week No. 1. I’ll take it. This week’s Pigskin Pick’Em has six Games of the Week (one is a bonus), plus 20 Best of the Rest games. While it’s only Week No. 2, there are some key games on the schedule. 

Games of the Week

Bath (1-0) at St. Marys Memorial (0-1)

In my WBL preseason poll, I said to circle August 29 on the calender. Well, it’s here. It’s a huge game in the Western Buckeye League, as the winner will stay in WBL title contention. I still think Wapakoneta is the team to beat but the winner of this game will at least keep pace with the Redskisn. Bath was very impressive during 50-21 win over Indian Lake last week, while St. Marys Memorial fell to Galion 35-6, an outcome that surprised me. This could serve as a bounceback game for the Roughriders and I think it could be a close one. But, I have to make a decision and I’m going with the Wildcats, who have improved by leaps and bounds over the past three seasons. Do I think St. Marys can win the game? Absolutely, it wouldn’t shock me at all, but I’m going with the visitors as my pick.

The pick: Bath

Liberty-Benton (1-0) at Columbus Grove (0-1)

It’s a streak that’s going to end at some point. Columbus Grove has won something like 26 straight regular season games at Clymer Stadium. If I’m not mistaken, Columbus Grove’s last regular season home loss was in Week No. 4 during the 2019 season, to Allen East. Is this the week the streak ends? That’s a good question. The Bulldogs enjoyed a 21-7 lead entering the fourth quarter of last week’s game against Pandora-Gilboa, but the Rockets rallied for a 22-21 win. Meanwhile, Liberty-Benton posted an impressive 35-0 win over Ottawa-Glandorf. This is a tough one. I can see Liberty-Benton winning the game but I also have a hard time season Columbus Grove start 0-2. By a slim margin, I’ll say the home winning streak continues.

The pick: Columbus Grove

Pandora-Gilboa (1-0) at Bluffton (1-0)

As noted above, Pandora-Gilboa stunned Columbus Grove with 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of last week’s opener, giving the Rockets a 22-21 victory. Meanwhile, the Bluffton Pirates had their hands full with Benjamin Logan. Bluffton won the game 33-30, but it was closer than many people expected. The Pirates have a wealth of returning talent on both sides of the ball. Could Pandora-Gilboa pull a big upset for the second straight week? I don’t think so. The Pirates have too many weapons and they’ll be too much for the Rockets.

The pick: Bluffton

Wayne Trace (0-1) at Spencerville (0-1)

The Raiders and Bearcats were shut out by MAC schools (Anna, football only) last week. No doubt they were tough openers for both squads. This game has the potential to be a very entertaining game. It certainly was last year, when Spencerville posted a 28-27 victory. On paper, this year’s matchup appears to be a toss up game. I think Wayne Trace will return the favor this year and will leave Allen County with a ‘W’ – perhaps in another thriller.

The pick: Wayne Trace

Marion Local (1-0) at Crestview (1-0)

I’m not going to draw this one out. Marion Local is the overwhelming favorite in this game and with all due respect to Crestview, rightfully so. I think the Knights have a chance to put together a very successful season but Marion Local is and has been playing at a different level, as evidenced by four consecutive state championships and a 65-game winning streak. Yes, anything can happen, but the Flyers seem poised to add another victory to the streak.

The pick: Marion Local

Van Wert (1-0) at Elida (1-0)

I’ll start this by passing along condolences to the Elida football team, Elida High School and the Elida community for the recent death of team member Kenny Schultheis, who would have been a junior on the team. Head coach Kyle Harmon had his team take a step back to mourn the loss, which was 100 percent the right thing to do. Many thoughts and prayers have gone out to Kenny’s family. As for the game itself, it could be close. Both teams picked up big wins in their respective season openers, both teams have sophomores starting at quarterback, and both coaches admit they need to clean up mistakes and penalties from Week No. 1. I’ve leaned toward the Cougars so far this week and I’ll stick with that feeling.

The pick: Van Wert

Best of the Rest

WBL

Celina at Wapakoneta: Wapakoneta

Defiance at Ottawa-Glandorf: Defiance

Shawnee at Kenton: Shawnee

Non-conference

Africentric Early College at Minster: Minster

Antwerp at Edon: Edon

Ayersville at Patrick Henry: Patrick Henry

Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy at Versailles: Versailles

Clinton-Massie at Coldwater: Coldwater

Delta at Fairview: Fairview

Edgerton at Hilltop: Edgerton

Findlay at Lima Sr.: Findlay

Fort Loramie at Anna: Anna

Fort Recovery at Allen East: Fort Recovery

Hicksville at Swanton: Hicksville

Lima Central Catholic at Delphos St. John’s (Saturday): LCC

New Bremen at Covington: New Bremen

Parkway at Delphos Jefferson: Parkway

Paulding at North Central: Paulding

St. Henry at Archbold: St. Henry

Tinora at Otsego: Otsego