FROM THE PRESS BOX: PIGSKIN PICKERS FORECAST ANOTHER MOSTLY-GOOD WEEK FOR VALLEY FOOTBALL TEAMS (2021-10-22)

It's Week 9 South of the Border, and Week 7 on the North side, and all four Valley teams are aiming to strengthen their postseason resumeS.

Waverly is looking to keep its unbeaten season going tonight when it hosts Oneonta, With wins this week and next, the Wolverines can lock up home-field advantage in the postseason.

Likewise, Tioga can clinch a division title tonight when it hosts Bainbridge-Guilford, while Sayre and Athens both need wins - this week and next "” to earn home games in the opening round of the District 4 playoffs.

Last weekend was a decent one for the pigskin pickers. I had a 10-2 mark, and our other three pickers were 9-3. On the season, Little Red remains atop the standings at 74-11, while The Mick and I are 69-16, and Country Bob is 64-21.

In all, our pigskin prognosticators will make picks on 12 games - six in Pa., and six in N.Y.

Let's start with the four Valley teams in action:

FRIDAY
Oneonta (2-4) at Waverly (7-0): The Wolverines are coming off a division-clinching 25-19 win over Watkins Glen / O-M, while the Yellowjackets dropped a 41-7 decision to Susquehanna Valley - their fourth loss in a row.

Waverly has been dominant on the defensive side of the ball, allowing just 7.7 points per game this season. During its current four-game losing streak, Oneonta has scored just 16 points.

Prediction: The Wolverines were averaging more than 200 yards per game through the air through their first six games, then ran for nearly 200 yards last week. ... Oneonta has struggled offensively during its losing streak. ... WAVERLY 34, ONEONTA 0.
Little Red: Waverly 41, Oneonta 7.
The Mick: Waverly 44, Oneonta 0.
Country Bob: Waverly 35, Oneonta 0.

South Williamsport (4-3) at Sayre (5-3): The Redskins are coming off a 30-20 loss at Northwest Saturday, while the Mounties dropped a 31-20 decision at Muncy.

The big question is, which Sayre team shows up, the one that went toe-to-toe with a physical Troy team in a 22-21 win, or the one that was pushed around a bit at Northwest in a 30-20 loss?

South Williamsport has been up-and-down a bit as well, playing Muncy much tougher than Sayre, but struggling to beat a Montgomery team the Redskins beat by 20.

Prediction: This is a game that could go either way, and in those cases I'll take the team that is bigger and more physical up front. SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT 26, SAYRE 21.
Little Red: South 24, Sayre 13.
The Mick: South 16, Sayre 13.
Country Bob: Sayre 18, South 12.

Bainbridge-Guilford (1-5) at Tioga (6-0): The Tigers are coming off a 48-0 win over Harpursville-Afton, while the Bobcats dropped a 28-0 decision Sidney.

Tioga has been utterly dominant this season, beating three state-ranked teams Delhi, Newark Valley, and Harpursville-Afton) in a row by an average of 44.8 points per game. B-G lost to those same three teams by an average of 45 points per game.

Prediction: On paper, this is as big of a mismatch as you can get. It will be on the field as well. ... TIOGA 55, B-G 0.
Little Red: Tioga 42, B-G 0
The Mick: Tioga 58, B-G 0
Country Bob: Tioga 56, B-G 0

Athens (5-3) at Wellsboro (3-3): The Wildcats are coming off a 34-10 loss to unbeaten Canton, while the Green Hornets topped Wyalusing, 24-6.

Athens has beaten the teams it should, and played well in its losses. Even against Canton, the Wildcats amassed more than 250 yards in offense, but hurt themselves with turnovers and penalties.

Wellsboro has been competitive in its losses as well, and owns a big 17-7 win over South Williamsport, which beat Athens, 7-0.

Prediction: My first instinct says the Wildcats win because they've been able to score a lot of points when they've had the advantage in the trenches, but Wellsboro could make this game very interesting. ... ATHENS 24, WELLSBORO 20.
Little Red: Athens 24, Wellsboro 13.
The Mick: Athens 27, Wellsboro 13
Country Bob: Athens 12, Wellsboro 6.

Cowanesque Valley (5-2) at Montgomery (3-5): The Indians are coming off a 32-0 win over Wyalusing, while the Red Raiders dropped a 40-18 decision to Muncy - their fifth straight loss.

Prediction: Everything points to Cowanesque Valley, but I have a feeling Montgomery makes this game interesting. CV 27, MONTGOMERY 25.
Little Red: Montgomery 38, CV 0.
The Mick: Montgomery 28, CV 20.
Country Bob: CV 28, Montgomery 20.

Wyalusing (2-6) at Troy (6-2): The Rams are coming off a 24-6 loss to Wellsboro, while the Trojans topped Towanda, 30-6.

Prediction: Aside from a hiccup at Sayre two weeks ago, Troy has played well, while Wyalusing appears to be in disarray. ... TROY 41, WYALUSING 6.
Little Red: Troy 28, Wyalusing 6.
The Mick: Troy 34, Wyalusing 6.
Country Bob: Troy 42, Wyalusing 6.

Tunkhannock (2-6) at Towanda (0-7): The Black Knights are coming off a 30-6 loss to Troy, while the Tigers were thumped 52-21 by unbeaten Scranton Prep.

Prediction: Aside from last week, Tunkhannock has been competitive during its five-game losing streak. Towanda has lost one game by less than 26 points. ... TUNKHANNOCK 34, TOWANDA 6.
Little Red: Tunkhannock 42, Towanda 0.
The Mick: Tunkhannock 42, Towanda 7.
Country Bob: Tunkhannock 28, Towanda 0.

Muncy (7-1) at Homer-Center (7-1): The Indians are coming off a 40-18 win over Montgomery, while the Wildcats topped Purchase Line, 33-16.

Prediction: Both teams have won seven in a row. ... MUNCY 34, HOMER CENTER 20.
Little Red: Muncy 24, Homer Center 0
The Mick: Muncy 21, Homer Center 14.
Country Bob: Muncy 49, Homer Center 0.

Canton (8-0) at Hanover Area (2-5): The Warriors are coming off a 34-10 win over Athens, while the Hawkeyes topped Holy Redeemer, 46-38, to snap a four-game losing streak.

Prediction: Hanover lost 44-6 to Athens in Week 1. This could be ugly. ... CANTON 50, HANOVER 0.
Little Red: Canton 42, Hanover 0.
The Mick: Canton 56, Hanover 9.
Country Bob: Canton 48, Hanover 6.

Vestal (1-5) at Owego (1-5): The Indians are coming off a 23-6 loss to Windsor, while the Golden Bears dropped a 42-12 decision to Corning.

Prediction: Both teams have struggled this season, but Vestal has been a bit more competitive. ... VESTAL 22, OWEGO 12.
Little Red: Vestal 42, Owego 14.
The Mick: Vestal 38, Owego 35.
Country Bob: Vestal 55, Owego 0.

SATURDAY
North Penn (4-4) at CMVT (0-6): The Panthers are coming off a 20-19 win over Line Mountain, while the Rams lost 40-8 to South Williamsport on Oct. 2.

Prediction: North Penn has struggled against good team, but have beaten mediocre teams. CMVT's closest game was a 23-point loss to Holy Name. ... NORTH PENN 45, CMVT 6.
Little Red: North Penn 28, CMVT 0.
The Mick: North Penn 33, CMVT 8.
Country Bob: North Penn 35, CMVT 12.

Walton (1-5) at Newark Valley (4-2): The Cardinals are coming off a big 20-7 win over Delhi, while the Warriors dropped a wild, 50-44, decision to Deposit-Hancock.

Prediction: Newark Valley has a chance at the third seed in the upcoming Class D playoffs, if it can beat Walton and Sidney to close out the regular season. ... NEWARK VALLEY 48, WALTON 20.
Little Red: Newark Valley 28, Walton 14.
The Mick: Newark Valley 42, Walton 20.
Country Bob: Newark Valley 21, Walton 12.

SVEC (4-0) at Wellsville (3-3): The Eagles are coming off a 60-0 win over Newfield, while the Lions dropped a 37-28 decision to Frewsburg.

Prediction: SVEC has been utterly dominant, but Wellsville is an unknown quantity. I think the Eagles continue their roll. ... SVEC 54, Wellsville 20.
Little Red: SVEC 41, Wellsville 21.
The Mick: SVEC 57, Wellsville 16.
Country Bob: SVEC 50, Wellsville 6.