{"id":209340,"date":"2026-08-26T20:53:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T01:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=209340"},"modified":"2026-08-26T20:53:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T01:53:50","slug":"pigskin-pickem-week-no-2-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2026\/08\/26\/pigskin-pickem-week-no-2-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Pigskin Pick’Em: Week No. 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SCOTT TRUXELL\/<\/strong>independent sports<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no other way to put it \u2013 last week, the opening week of the 2026 high school football season, was wild. There were upsets galore around the area, results that very few people saw coming. There were also some nice surprises and for some teams that have struggled, sort of a glimmer of hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the upsets, my record took a beating. The first week is always the toughest because there are so many unknowns due to graduation losses etc., but some of the results were truly surprising. It hurts to type this \u2013 my record last week was 22-10 (68.8 percent), far short of my minimum goal of 80 percent correct picks. It\u2019s really not much easier this week with some intriguing Western Buckeye League games and some premium non-conference games.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Games of the Week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Archbold (1-0) at St. Henry (0-1)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These two teams met last year and St. Henry posted a 27-19 win. The Redskins went on to win the Division VII state championship but suffered notable graduation losses. Meanwhile, Archbold returns a number of starters, including 10 on offense. This feels like the Blue Streaks should get a win but I\u2019m hitting pause on that thought. It\u2019s tough to pick against St. Henry at home and quite honestly, it\u2019s hard to see the Redskins start the season 0-2. This should be one of the better games of the night. One more note \u2013 the two teams began the series in 2022, and each team has won two games. I\u2019m picking the Redskins to win this one. If the game was at Archbold, that might be a different story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: St. Henry<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delphos Jefferson (1-0) at Parkway (1-0)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given their recent struggles, it seemed improbable that these two teams would enter this game 1-0 but here we are. Delphos Jefferson enjoyed a convincing 34-6 win over Evergreen last Friday night, while Parkway snapped a 19-game losing streak with a dominant 27-14 win over Brookville. I\u2019m pleased for both teams as they try to turn things around. The last time Delphos Jefferson started the season 2-0 was 2014 and the last time Parkway opened the season 2-0 was 2008. So, which one will pick up win No. 2 in as many weeks? I believe it\u2019s the Panthers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: Parkway<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ottawa-Glandorf (1-0) at Defiance (1-0)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know about everyone else but this is a game that I didn\u2019t expect both teams to enter 1-0. I thought Defiance had a shot to do it but I wasn\u2019t so sure about Ottawa-Glandorf. Boy, did the Titans prove me and a lot of others wrong last week with a 52-7 win over Liberty-Benton. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs earned a 9-8 win over rival Napoleon, making it the third straight year the game has been decided by a single point. This one is hard to pick, as a case can be made for either team. In my mind, it\u2019s a coin flip and I\u2019ll say the Titans get the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The pick: Ottawa-Glandorf<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wapakoneta (0-1) at Celina (1-0)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I say anything else, I believe I speak for everyone when I say we all wish Celina quarterback Parker Wynk the very best as he continues to recover from a serious neck injury suffered in the first half of last week\u2019s game against St. Henry. Parker and his family have been strong in the days that have followed and the outpouring of support has been simply amazing, yet not surprising. Everyone is rooting for Parker. As far as the game, it\u2019s another tough one to pick. Wapakoneta is the defending WBL champion but the Redskins saw their 28-game regular season winning streak come to an end last week. Meanwhile, Celina gutted out a 38-35 win over St. Henry, which was incredible given the circumstances. This no doubt will be another emotional game. After some thought, it may not necessarily be a popular pick, but I\u2019m going with the Redskins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: Wapakoneta<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crestview (0-1) at Minster (1-0)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defensively, Crestview played well enough to win last week but five turnovers on offense simply proved to be too much to overcome. However, those are correctable mistakes. Minster and Fort Loramie were tied 17-17 at halftime but the Wildcats outscored the Redskins 10-0 in the second half for the win. I\u2019m going to get right to the point here \u2013 it\u2019s going to be tough for the Knights to march into MAC country and get a win. Is it possible? Of course it\u2019s possible. But like them or not, it\u2019s extremely difficult for a road team to win against a MAC team. I\u2019m going with the Wildcats but some brighter days are ahead for Crestview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: Minster<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elida (1-0) at Van Wert (1-0)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both teams were expected to be 1-0 entering the WBL opener. Both teams had no trouble in their respective openers, with Elida beating Rogers 48-6 and Van Wert topping Bryan 41-6. If I\u2019m looking at it from the Van Wert side, I have to say I\u2019m a little concerned about this one. The Cougars are going to have generate more yards on the ground and allow time for quarterback Zach Crummey to drop back and pass. For the most part, the defense looked good against Bryan but this week will be a bit more challenging with Jonan Snyder leading Elida\u2019s offense. This has the potential to be a close one. I\u2019m picking Van Wert but it won\u2019t be an easy game at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: Van Wert<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best of the Rest<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WBL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shawnee at Kenton: Kenton<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. Marys Memorial at Bath: St. Marys Memorial<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-conference<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allen East at Fort Recovery: Fort Recovery<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antwerp at Edon: Edon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bluffton at Edison: Bluffton<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coldwater at Clinton-Massie: Coldwater<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Columbus Grove at Liberty-Benton: Columbus Grove<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Covington at New Bremen: New Bremen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delphos St. John\u2019s at Lima Central Catholic (Saturday): LCC<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fairview at Delta: Fairview<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Findlay at Lima Sr.: Lima Sr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fort Loramie at Anna: Anna<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hilltop at Edgerton: Edgerton<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lakota at Hicksville: Lakota<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marion Local at Harvest Prep: Marion Local<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otsego at Tinora: Otsego      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patrick Henry at Ayersville: Patrick Henry<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paulding at North Central: Paulding<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spencerville at Wayne Trace: Wayne Trace<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Versailles at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy: Versailles<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SCOTT TRUXELL\/independent sports There\u2019s no other way to put it \u2013 last week, the opening week of the 2026 high school football season, was wild. There were upsets galore around the area, results that very few people saw coming. There were also some nice surprises and for some teams that have struggled, sort of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-209340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-04 17:33:32","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209340"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209383,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209340\/revisions\/209383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}