Pigskin Pick’Em: Week No. 6

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

It’s Week No. 6 of the high school football and if nothing else, at least it will feel more like football season weatherwise. The first 3-4 weeks were a little toasty to say the least. It also about the time homecoming celebrations begin, which adds a little more excitement to an already exciting season. Buckle up – it should be a fun second half of the season, with league and conference titles to be determined, along with playoff qualifiers and all-important seeding.

Last week I went 16-3 (84.2 percent), which upped my season record to 86-33, or 72.2 percent, which is nowhere good enough. The goal is at least 80 percent, which means I have a lot of ground to make up. 19 game are on this week’s Pigskin Pick’Em slate.

Games of the Week

Fairview (4-1) at Tinora (2-3)

These two teams are probably the remaining teams that can challege Paulding for the GMC title. Both are kind of hard to get a read on. Fairview’s wins have come against teams with a combined record of 2-18. The lone loss for the Apaches was against 4-1 Delta. Tinora’s non-conference schedule (Liberty Center, Otsego, Archbold, combined 14-1) was absolutely brutal. Since then, the Rams have played a pair of 0-5 teams, Edgerton and Hicksville. This is a tough one. I’m not paying too much attention to Tinora’s 0-3 start, simply because most teams would be 0-3 against those opponents. I think this one could be close, but I’ll go with the home team, the Rams.

The pick: Tinora

Lima Central Catholic (5-0) at Fort Loramie (4-1)

I’d just like to say, once again, that the NWC is really, really good this year. It appears six teams will be playoff bound this year and right now, there are four legit contenders for the NWC championship, with these two teams among them. Lima Central Catholic has had a couple of close calls, 37-34 over Urbana and 13-6 over Columbus Grove. Fort Loramie’s only loss is to No. 2 Minster, 27-17. That game was tied 17-17 at halftime. I do think the Redskins can pose some challenges in this one but in the end, but I also think Lima Central Catholic has too many weapons. I like the Thunderbirds in this one.

The pick: Lima Central Catholic

Marion Local (5-0) at St. Henry (3-2)

When these two teams met last year, Marion Local won the regular season matchup 21-14, but St. Henry upset the Flyers in the regional championship game 24-7, ending Marion Local’s 76-game winning streak. St. Henry went on to win the Division VII state championship. Now, can the Redskins end Marion Local’s 63-game regular season winning streak? The Flyers have rolled past their first five oppoents, while St. Henry started the season 0-2, with losses Celina and Archbold, two teams that are 5-0. Since then the Redskins are 3-0 and have posted back-to-back shutouts. This is shaping up to be a classic battle of MAC heavyweights. I don’t see a ton of points being scored in this game. Two or three touchdowns will probably do it. More often than not, I side with the home team in the MAC but this is one of those exceptions. I like the Flyers in a slugfest.

The pick: Marion Local

Allen East (3-2) at Crestview (1-4)

It’s homecoming in Convoy but the challenge will be a tough one for the Knights, as Allen East rolls in. After a 3-0 start, the Mustangs have lost their last two games by a combined score of 90-27, but it has to be noted those losses came to 5-0 Bluffton and 5-0 Lima Central Catholic. Crestview was unable to get much going in last week’s 34-0 loss to Fort Loramie. I’m just going to get to the point here – I’m not sure if the Knights can put up enough points to keep up with Allen East. I do think the offense will continue to grow and evolve with experience. I could be wrong. Last year, the tables were sort of flipped and Crestview hung on in a 34-33 thriller. However, I have to go with the Mustangs here.

The pick: Allen East

Van Wert (4-1) at Wapakoneta (2-3)

I’m not at all surprised that Van Wert is 4-1 at this point. I didn’t expect Wapakoneta to be 2-3 at the halfway point of the season, but it’s been well documented that the three losses have come to teams with a combined 15-0 record. It should also be noted that those three losses came by a total of 10 points, including a 7-6 loss to Celina and a 27-24 loss to Ottawa-Glandorf. Van Wert bounced back from a Week No. 4 loss to Celina with a 61-28 win over Defiance. However, this doesn’t feel like a good matchup for the Cougars. The Redskins are on a bit of a roll and I think their size up front and their style of play (think Celina) will present problems for Van Wert and the remaining teams on the schedule. Yes, Van Wert has some dangerous weapons and I think it’s possible they can win. However, history says the Redskins defend their home field.

The pick: Wapakoneta

Best of the Rest

GMC

Edgerton at Wayne Trace: Wayne Trace

Hicksville at Antwerp: Antwerp

Paulding at Ayersville: Paulding

MAC

Fort Recovery at Anna: Anna

Minster at Delphos St. John’s: Minster

New Bremen at Versailles: Versailles

Parkway at Coldwater: Coldwater

NWC

Delphos Jefferson at Columbus Grove: Columbus Grove

Spencerville at Bluffton: Bluffton

TCL

Lima Sr. at Toledo Woodward: Lima Sr.

WBL

Bath at Elida: Bath

Celina at Kenton: Celina

Defiance at Shawnee: Shawnee

Ottawa-Glandorf at St. Marys Memorial: Ottawa-Glandorf