Pigskin Pick’Em: Week No. 3

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

Week No. 3 of the high school football season is here. It’s the final week of non-conference games for teams in the Northwest Conference and Green Meadows Conference. The Midwest Athletic Conference begins conference play Friday night and it’ll be league game No. 2 for teams in the Western Buckeye League. When Friday’s games are over, there will be just two undefeated teams left in the WBL. It’s hard to believe that once this weekend’s games are done, 30 percent of the regular season will be gone. 

Last week I managed to go 21-5 (80.7 percent), which took my season record to 46-11 (80.7 percent). On to this week’s picks.

Elida (1-1) at Shawnee (1-1)

This should be a close game and it’s a tough one to pick. One could easily argue that both teams should be 2-0. Their losses have come by a combined eight points. If Elida can find just a bit more consistency on offense, the Bulldogs are going to be a handful. They’re not that far away. Having said that, I can’t shake the feeling that the Indians will get the victory, so I’m sticking with that thought.

The pick: Shawnee

Marion Local (2-0) at St. Henry (2-0)

A pair of undefeated teams in the MAC opener – battle tested Marion Local and a rapidly improving St. Henry team. There are some who think the Redskins have a chance at pulling off the upset but with all due respect to St. Henry, I am not among them. The Marion Local machine will roll in this one.

The pick: Marion Local

St. Marys Memorial (0-2) at Celina (0-2)

I have to admit, I didn’t expect both of these teams to be 0-2 entering the Battle of Grand Lake. However, it’s accurate to say that both teams have faced difficult opponents. The question is, which one is going to rebound and win this one? Celina has scored just twice this season but the Roughriders have allowed 91 points in two games. Something has to give here. Celina isn’t an easy place to play and I won’t be too surprised if the Bulldogs pick up win No. 1. However, I think the Roughriders will claim the win and bragging rights.

The pick: St. Marys Memorial

Crestview (1-1) at Wayne Trace (0-2)

It’s been a long time since the Raiders have won a game in this non-conference rivalry series, 2013 to be exact, so history is on the side of the Knights. Wayne Trace is coming off a tough loss at Spencerville (25-21) but there were some bright spots for the Raiders in that one. Crestview lost to Marion Local 63-0. Can the Knights shake that off in time for Friday night? Throw in the whole rivalry thing and it makes this game even more intriguing. Then there’s this – not counting last year, the previous three games in this series were decided by 1, 8, and 7 points. Recent history says it should be close. However, I think the Knights will prove to be too much in this one and will leave Haviland with the win.

The pick: Crestview

Bath (2-0) at Van Wert (2-0)

Last year’s game between these two schools was a wild one, as Bath posted a 43-37 win in the closing seconds. The Wildcats appear to be even more explosive this season as evidenced by scoring 106 points and 542 total yards per game in their first two games. Meanwhile, Van Wert has shown noticeable improvement defensively, which was and still is a key to the season. The Cougars have given up what I would consider one big play this season – a 59-yard touchdown pass against Elida. How will the defense do against Bath this week? We’ll find out Friday night. Another factor is going to be turnovers – Van Wert simply can’t have any against Bath. Do I think the Cougars can win this game? Yes, but I’m giving a slight edge to the Wildcats. I will say this – I won’t be surprised at all if the Cougars pull off what might be termed a mild upset.

The pick: Bath

Best of the Rest

MAC

Anna at Minster: Anna

Fort Recovery at Coldwater: Coldwater

Parkway at New Bremen: New Bremen

Versailles at Delphos St. John’s: Versailles

WBL

Ottawa-Glandorf at Kenton: Ottawa-Glandorf

Wapakoneta at Defiance: Wapakoneta

Non-conference

Allen East at Indian Lake: Indian Lake

Antwerp at Hilltop (Saturday): Antwerp

Archbold at Tinora: Archbold

Bluffton at Bowsher: Bluffton

Bryan at Fairview: Fairview

Columbus Grove at Patrick Henry: Patrick Henry

Edgerton at Montpelier: Edgerton

Edon at Hicksville: Edon

Lehman Catholic at Fort Loramie: Fort Loramie

Lima Central Catholic at Carey: Carey

Lima Sr. at Marion Harding: Lima Sr.

Mohawk at Ayersville: Mohawk

Paulding at Delphos Jefferson (Saturday): Paulding

Riverside at Spencerville: Spencerville