Pigskin Pick’Em: Week No. 10

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

It’s here – Week No. 10, the regular season finale. For some teams, it’ll be the season finale period while others will move on to the OHSAA playoffs. Overall, it’s been an interesting year. It’s hard to believe anyone predicted the WBL race would turn out like it has, while for the most part, the NWC title race has gone as predicted. It’s fair to say that title races in the GMC and MAC have gone as expected.

Last week I went 17-2 (89.4 percent), which boosted my overall regular season record to 152-43 (77.9 percent). After a brutally slow start to the season, I’ve managed to go 82-10 (89.1 percent) the last five weeks. Having said that, there are a handful of picks this week that I’m not entirely confident about, games that for one reason or another could go either way. A reminder – Pigskin Pick’Em will continue into the playoffs and will go as long as there are area teams competing in the postseason. Predictions for all seven state championship games will be made, regardless if area teams are playing or not.

On to Week No. 10 games.

Games of the Week

Columbus Grove (8-1) at Bluffton (8-1)

Unless Crestview pulls a massive upset over Lima Central Catholic, one of these teams will finish second and the other will finish third in the Northwest Conference. That doesn’t seem right but it is. The only losses suffered by both teams came at the hands of the Thunderbirds. Here’s some interesting information supplied by Columbus Grove/NWC statistician Ned Stechschulte: this is the 96th meeting between the Bulldogs and Pirates. Bluffton leads the overall series 50-43-2. Columbus Grove has won the past six games played at Bluffton and since 1963, Columbus Grove is 15-16 in games played at Bluffton. The two teams have combined to win 32 of the 80 NWC championships, although another one may not be in the cards this ear. Columbus Grove has won the last nine matchups. So, who’s the favorite in this game? Actually, a case can be made for either team. To be completely transparent, my initial thought was to go with Columbus Grove and I’m going to stick with that. Why? Because in my preseason NWC picks, I projected Lima Central Catholic to win it, followed by Columbus Grove, then Bluffton. Let’s see if those predictions were accurate.

The pick: Columbus Grove

Marion Local (9-0) at Coldwater (6-3)

This is the game that usually has the huge 50-50 jackpot and I’m guessing Friday night will be no different. While No. 1 Marion Local is 9-0 as expected, Coldwater has uncharacteristic back-to-back losses. It should be noted that two of Coldwater’s three losses this season are by a combined six points. This is where I’m at right now – I’ll be a little surprised if Marion Local’s 67-game regular winning streak comes to an end and the Flyers finish the season 9-1. Then again, I have trouble seeing Coldwater finish the regular season with three straight losses. I’ve probably overthought this one. The smart move is to pick the Flyers.

The pick: Marion Local

Ottawa-Glandorf (9-0) at Shawnee (4-5)

It’s the turnaround story in all of Ohio this season. 0-10 last season to 9-0 record heading into the season finale, plus a No. 2 ranking in the Division IV Associated Press football poll. The Titans held on to defeat Celina 22-20 in last Friday’s de facto WBL championship game. Is there a chance for a letdown by Ottawa-Glandorf? I suppose there’s a chance but I doubt it. Meanwhile, Shawnee is better than the team’s 4-5 record would indicate. I’m pretty confident in saying the Indians are a dangerous team in this spot. It appears this will be the final game of the season for Shawnee, so you can bet they’d like to go out with a bang. I don’t see that happening though. I’m predicting the Titans will put the wraps on a 10-0 regular season.

The pick: Ottawa-Glandorf

Crestview (2-7) at Lima Central Catholic (9-0)

At first glance, this game appears to be a mismatch. One team is undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the state in Division VI and it’s been a struggle for the other team. However, did you know that the recent series between these two teams has been very competitive? Last year, LCC won 21-13 and the year before, Crestview and LCC played to a 10-3 game, with the Thunderbirds coming out on top. How will Friday night turn out? Only time will tell but I do know this – win or lose, the Knights will play very hard. However, it’s very difficult to pick against a 9-0 team here. I have to pick the Thunderbirds.

The pick: Lima Central Catholic

Van Wert (4-5) at Kenton (2-7)

The Cougars are looking to end a four game skid and secure a playoff spot in Region 14. Should Van Wert accomplish that, the Week No. 11 game will be on the road and it’ll probably make a drive to Kenton seem like going around the block. What I mean by that is the Cougars are probably going to have to travel to someplace in norheast Ohio if they get in. First things first though – this game, which won’t be an easy one. Kenton is a team that could have 2-3 more wins. Yes, it’s been a struggle for the Wildcats but they’ve been competitive in all of their games expect the Wapakoneta game. What I’m saying is in this situation, Kenton is dangerous. Meanwhile, the Cougars are reeling a bit after some close losses. In some ways, over last three weeks, maybe last four weeks, Van Wert has been snakebitten. Anything that could go wrong did indeed go wrong down the stretch in those games. The Cougars can ease the sting a bit with a win and a playoff berth. If they lose, I’m not sure there will be a Week No. 11 for them. I’m going with Van Wert, but I think this will be a close one.

The pick: Van Wert

Best of the Rest

GMC

Antwerp at Ayersville: Ayersville

Hicksville at Edgerton: Edgerton

Tinora at Paulding: Paulding

Wayne Trace at Fairview: Fairview

MAC

Anna at Versailles: Versailles

Fort Recovery at Minster: Minster

Parkway at New Bremen: New Bremen

St. Henry at Delphos St. John’s: St. Henry

NWC

Spencerville at Delphos Jefferson (Thursday): Delphos Jefferson

Fort Loramie at Allen East: Allen East

TCL

Lima Sr. at Toledo Scott: Lima Sr.

WBL

Bath at Wapakoneta: Wapakoneta

Celina at Defiance: Celina

St. Marys Memorial at Elida: St. Marys Memorial