Pigskin Pick’Em: Week No. 4

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

Conference and league play will be in full swing as we’ve arrived at Week No. 4 of the high school football season. The Green Meadows Conference and the Northwest Conference join the Western Buckeye League and Midwest Athletic Conference in playing league games. The majority of area games this week appear to be pretty evenly matched and a handful of them have conference/league title implications and a couple of notable streaks are on the line. Three of the “Games of the Week” feature 3-0 teams.

Last week I went 19-6 (76 percent), better than weeks 1-2, but that’s not sayining much. With conference play being in the GMC and NWC, 18 games are on this week’s Pigskin Pick’Em slate.

Games of the Week

Allen East (3-0) at Bluffton (3-0)

Before the season began I wondered if Allen East could be a dark horse in the NWC. The Mustangs have a talented roster and first year head coach Shane Wireman oversaw turnarounds at Waynesfield-Goshen and Shawnee before taking over at his alma mater. A convincing win over Indian Lake was a head turner. So, can the Mustangs go into Bluffton and get a win? It’s a tall order no doubt and while I think they can, I’m not so sure they win. At this point I feel like it’s a bad idea to pick against Allen East but it also feels like a bad idea to pick against Bluffton. I think there’s a chance the scoreboard could get a workout in this one and after teetering back and forth for a bit, I’ve decided to go with the Pirates.

The pick: Bluffton

Lima Central Catholic (3-0) at Columbus Grove (3-0)

Could this be the NWC championship game? It certainly could be. Columbus Grove has won three straight conference titles and four of the last five. Lima Central Catholic was the VW independent’s preseason pick to win the NWC title. Columbus Grove has won 24 straight NWC games at home, meaning the Bulldogs haven’t lost a home conference game since 2019. That loss was to Allen East, 14-11 back in September of that year. So there’s that. Lima Central Catholic is coming off a hard fought 37-34 win over Urbana, a team now led by former Minster coach Geron Stokes and the Thunderbirds have a loaded roster. If there’s a team that can go into Clymer Stadium and win, it’s Lima Central Catholic but I do expect this to be a very close game. It may not be the wisest thing to do, but I’ll take the projected preseason champions over the defending champions.

The pick: Lima Central Catholic

Ottawa-Glandorf (3-0) at Wapakoneta (1-2)

The case can be made that all five of this week’s WBL games are interesting and could/should be close, including this one. If you exclude the 2020 COVID-19 season, Wapakoneta hasn’t lost a home WBL game since September of 2019, 13-10 to Kenton. That’s 25 straight home league wins for the Redskins, again without the COVID-19 season when no WBL champion was recognized. Here comes Ottawa-Glandorf, 3-0 with three blowout wins. Last year’s winless season seems to be a distant memory. Can the Titans go into Wapak and knock off the five time defending WBL champions? Some of me things yes, they can do it but it certainly won’t be easy. This one can be considered a toss-up and while I’m somewhat hesitant to do it, I’m going with the home team.

The pick: Wapakoneta

Crestview (0-3) at Spencerville (0-3)

It’s accurate to say it’s been a struggle for both teams to this point. Crestview has fared a bit better in the fact that they’ve been in a spot where they had a shot to win two of the first three games. Injuries have hit Spencerville hard and the Bearcats are still looking for their first points of the 2026 season. As Crestview head coach Cole Harting alluded to, the Wing-T offense can be a nightmare to prepare for, which is what Spencerville runs. Still, someone is going to pick up win No. 1 and I believe it will be the Knights. I believe this is the week they put it all together and enjoy a win in the NWC opener.

The pick: Crestview

Van Wert (3-0) at Celina (3-0)

I’m going to be upfront here. When the week began, my pick was Celina all the way. This is just one of those games that doesn’t seem to be a good matchup for Van Wert. Celina is big and physical and while Van Wert is physical, the Cougars just don’t have that kind of size up front. I will say the offensive line has noticably improved each week and the defensive front four has been a handful at times. As the week has gone on, I’ve started to waver a bit with my pick. Why? The Cougars obviously have some playmakers on both sides of the ball which can pose problems for any team and then there’s this – Celina’s wins have all been close. 3-0 by six total points. That’s not to detract from what the Bulldogs have accomplished, especially when you factor in the injury to starting quarterback Parker Wynk and everything that has gone with that. While I’ve wavered, I keep going back to Celina being the favorite in this game. Can the Cougars win this? Yes. Will they? It’s very possible, but I’m going to stick with my first inclination.

The pick: Celina

Best of the Rest

GMC

Ayersville (1-2) at Wayne Trace (2-1): Wayne Trace

Edgerton (0-3) at Tinora (0-3): Tinora

Fairview (2-1) at Hicksville (0-3): Fairview

Paulding (2-1) at Antwerp (1-2): Paulding

MAC

Fort Reovery (1-2) at Delphos St. John’s (1-2): Fort Recovery

Marion Local (3-0) at Versailles (2-1): Marion Local

New Bremen (2-1) at Coldwater (3-0): Coldwater

Parkway (1-2) at Minster (3-0): Minster

St. Henry (1-2) at Anna (2-1): St. Henry

NWC

Fort Loramie (2-1) at Delphos Jefferson (3-0) (Saturday): Fort Loramie

WBL

Bath (0-3) at Shawnee (2-1): Shawnee   

Elida (1-2) at Kenton (0-3): Elida

St. Marys Memorial (2-1) at Defiance (1-2): Defiance

Non-conference

Lima Sr. (2-1) at Tiffin Columbian (2-1): Tiffin Columbian