FROM THE PRESS BOX: POSTSEASON FOOTBALL IS UPON US — WIN OR GO HOME (2021-11-05)

It's that time of the year, postseason football - win or go home.

Waverly is the lone Valley team at home in a Section IV, Class C semifinal, while Tioga is the top seed in the Class D postseason, which is played exclusively at neutral sites. Athens and Sayre are both on the road in the District 4 playoffs.

Rivalry week turned out to be a tough one for our pigskin pickers - all four went 5-3. On the season, Little Red remains atop the standings at 92-15, while The Mick is 87-20, I have a record of 86-21, and Country Bob is 79-28.

This week, the prognosticators will test their mettle with 11 postseason picks.

Let's start with the Valley teams in action:

Athens (6-4) at Montoursville (5-5), 7 p.m.: The Wildcats are coming off a 7-6 win over Sayre, while the Warriors dropped a 31-20 decision to Selinsgrove.

Athens had been pretty good defensively against the run this season, but Canton and Wellsboro both were able move the ball effectively in Week 8 and 9, and Montoursville a good rushing attack.

Prediction: Montoursville has played a tremendous schedule, which should prove to be an advantage tonight. ... MONTOURSVILLE 30, ATHENS 10.
Little Red: Montoursville 42, Athens 0.
The Mick: Montoursville 44, Athens 12.
Country Bob: Montoursville 35, Athens 0.

Norwich (5-4) at Waverly (9-0), 7 p.m.: The Wolverines are coming off a 21-14 win at Susquehanna Valley, while the Purple Tornado was thumped, 28-6, by Watkins Glen  / O-M.

Both teams are banged up, and are both missing players at vital positions, so it's difficult to get a great handle on this game.

Prediction: If you look at the common opponents, Waverly definitely has the edge, but they don't play the game on paper. I think this game is a lot closer than most people think. ... WAVERLY 21, NORWICH 16.
Little Red: Waverly 24, Norwich 6.
The Mick: Waverly 30, Norwich 18.
Country Bob: Waverly 28, Norwich 6.

Sayre (5-5) at Troy (7-3), 7 p.m. (Saturday): The Redskins are coming off a bitter 7-6 home loss to Athens, while the Trojans were thumped, 36-0, by Canton in the "Old Shoe" game.

Sayre has dropped three in a row, while Troy had won seven out of eight until the Canton loss. The lone loss was a 22-21 decision at Sayre in Week 8.

Prediction: The 1-point loss at the Lockhart Street Bowl will definitely be on Troy's mind, so Sayre will need to play much better than it has been. ... TROY 34, SAYRE 20.
Little Red: Troy 28, Sayre 6.
The Mick: Troy 28, Sayre 6.
Country Bob: Troy 21, Sayre 12.

Delhi (5-3) vs. Tioga (7-0), noon (Saturday): The Tigers have been off since its 61-8 win over B-G in Week 7 after its game with Deposit-Hancock last week was canceled, while the Bulldogs dropped a 22-14 decision to Harpursville-Afton.

Tioga has been utterly dominant this season, while Delhi's three losses have come against the top three seeds in the Class D playoffs.

Prediction: The Tigers thrashed Delhi 55-0 earlier this season, and that could be a negative for some teams, but this Tioga team has displayed extreme focus all season. ... TIOGA 48, DELHI 7.
Little Red: Tioga 42, Delhi 0.
The Mick: Tioga 60, Delhi 6.
Country Bob: Tioga 55, Delhi 0.

Johnson City (2-5) at Owego (2-6), 7 p.m.: The Indians are coming off a stunning, 23-20, win over Horseheads, while the Wildcats dropped a 20-8 decision to Binghamton.

Prediction: Both of these teams have shown quite a bit of improvement. Johnson City is playing for a little bit of redemption after losing 20-8 earlier this season at Owego. ... JOHNSON CITY 14, OWEGO 12.
Little Red: Owego 21, JC 14.
The Mick: Owego 28, JC 7.
Country Bob: Owego 12, JC 6.

Newark Valley (5-2) vs. Harpursville-Afton (6-1), 3 p.m. (Saturday): The Cardinals are coming off a 41-14 win over Sidney, while the Hornets topped Delhi, 22-14.

Newark Valley has been an offensive machine this season, averaging nearly 39 points per game this season, while H-A averages about 34 points per game.

Prediction: The Cardinals will be playing with a chip on their shoulder, remembering a season-opening, 42-33, loss at home to the Hornets. ... NEWARK VALLEY 41, HARPURSVILLE 33.
Little Red: NV 28, H-A 25.
The Mick: H-A 38, NV 28.
Country Bob: NV 18, H-A 6.

Cowanesque Valley (6-3) at Loyalsock (6-4): The Indians capped their best regular season in 40 years with a 20-0 win over Otto-Eldred, while the Lancers blanked Warrior Run, 49-0.

Prediction: This is not your father's Cowanesque Valley team. I'm not sure if they can win, but I think they keep it competitive. ... LOYALSOCK 27, COWANESQUE VALLEY 19.
Little Red: Loyalsock 35, CV 14.
The Mick: Loyalsock 34, CV 12.
Country Bob: Loyalsock 21, CV 13.

North Penn (5-5) at Milton (6-4): The Panthers are coming off a 13-0 loss to arch-rival Wellsboro, while the Panthers topped Shikellamy, 27-20, to snap a three-game losing streak.

Prediction: Class AAA is not that great this year, but North Penn isn't what it usually is either. ... MILTON 34, NORTH PENN 14.
Little Red: Milton 28, North Penn 14.
The Mick: North Penn 18, Milton 14.
Country Bob: Milton 21, North Penn 12.

Wellsboro at South Williamsport, 1 p.m. (Saturday): The Hornets are coming off a 13-0 win over North Penn, while the Mounties rolled to a 56-26 win over Northwest Area.

Prediction: This appears to be a different South Williamsport team than the one that lost 17-7 to Wellsboro in Week 2, but Wellsboro is healthy and has played very well in the last two games. This should be a good one. ... SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT 20, WELLSBORO 17.
Little Red: Wellsboro 36, South 13.
The Mick: Wellsboro 23, South 8.
Country Bob: Wellsboro 21, South 14.

Watkins Glen / O-M (6-2) at Chenango Forks (7-1): The Seneca Indians are coming off a 28-6 win over Norwich, while the Blue Devils rolled to a 33-13 win over state-ranked James P. O'Neill.

All roads to a Section IV, Class C title go through Chenango Forks.

Prediction: I think this game is going to be a lot closer than most people think. ... CHENANGO FORKS 27, WATKINS GLEN / O-M 19.
Little Red: Forks 42, WG/O-M 7.
The Mick: Forks 44, WG / O-M 6.
Country Bob: Forks 21, WG / O-M 6.

SVEC (6-0) at Greene (7-0), 7 p.m.: The Eagles are coming off a 46-8 win over Tri-Valley, while the Trojans blanked Thomas A. Edison, 38-0.

Prediction: SVEC is ranked second in the state, and Greene is third. However, the power points formula for the postseason has Greene as the second seed, and SVEC the third. I'm sure the Eagles feel disrespected. ... SVEC 60, GREENE 18.
Little Red: SVEC 48, Greene 42.
The Mick: SVEC 38, Greene 23.
Country Bob: SVEC 24, Greene 20.