FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 2 PICKS — A CLEAN SWEEP FOR VALLEY TEAMS? (2022-09-02)

It’s Week 2 of the high school football season for Valley fans, but Week 1 in Pa., and Week Zero in N.Y. Don’t ask.

Athens opens a busy weekend of action tonight when it hosts Cowanesque Valley, then Tioga and Waverly play in a much-anticipated doubleheader Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

The Tigers, the defending N.Y. State Class D champions, take on Class B Marlboro, while the Wolverines, coming off a 10-1 season in 2021 and an appearance in the Section IV, Class C championship game, host Class C Chester.

Once again, this year I’ll be picking the games each week along with our returning pickers — Little Red, Country Bob, and The Mick, who are all longtime Valley coaches.

FRIDAY
Cowanesque Valley (0-1) at Athens (0-1), 7 p.m. @ Alumni Stadium: Both teams are looking to rebound after lopsided Week 1 losses — Athens dropping a 33-14 decision at home to Executive Education Academy Charter, while CV lost 51-19 at Northwest Area.

The Wildcats struggled to protect senior QB Mason Lister, who threw three interceptions, and suffered five drops from his receivers.

The Indians also struggled with the turnover bug, and could do little to stop Northwest Area’s offense.

Prediction: Athens is better than it showed in Week 1, while CV is searching for its identity after losing six two-way starters from last year’s 6-4 team. Look for a big offensive night from the Wildcats. … ATHENS 48, CV 6. … Little Red: Athens 41, CV 0; Country Bob: Athens 35, CV 7. The Mick: Athens 55, CV 0.

SATURDAY
Marlboro vs. Tioga, 3 p.m. @ Memorial Stadium: The Tigers graduated one of the top ground-gainers in N.Y. State history in Emmett Wood, but return a slew of talent, led by junior QB Caden Bellis, from a team that went 12-0 on its way to a state title.

Marlboro posted a 7-2 record, ending its season with a 21-13 loss to Red Hook in the Section IX, Class B semifinals. They lost 13 seniors to graduation.

Tioga should be even better up front than they were last year, and Bellis, who could run and throw for more than 1,000 yards this year, has a multitude of weapons at his disposal.  Defensively, Tioga will be big up front, and quick to the ball.

Prediction: I’ve never seen Marlboro play, but it is a perennially strong program from Section IX. … The Tigers could potentially win another state title, and this could be their toughest game until the state semifinals. … TIOGA 34, MARLBORO 13. … Little Red: Tioga 34, Marlboro 15;  Country Bob: Tioga 55, Marlboro 6; The Mick: Tioga 27, Marlboro 6.

Chester at Waverly, 6 p.m. @ Memorial Stadium: The Wolverines suffered some key graduation losses, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but return all-state QB Joey Tomasso for his junior season and he’ll have a host of weapons, led by junior wideout Jay Pipher.

The Hambletonians posted a 7-3 record in 2021, with all three losses coming at the hands of O’Neill, which lost by 20 to Chenango Forks in the regular season, and by 28 to Dobbs Ferry in the Section IX Class C title game. They graduated 10 seniors, but return a pair of key linemen, and a good running back.

Waverly should be very strong up front — on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they will spread people out, and let Tomasso find the open receiver. Defensively, they are going to pursue the football, and try to force teams to throw to beat them.

Prediction: Again, I don’t know much about Chester, but they’re looking to replace a QB that threw for 2,163 yards and 30 TDs, as well as their top running back. … Under Jason Miller, the Wolverines have always been very good in the season openers. … WAVERLY 21, CHESTER 13. … Little Red: Waverly 28, Chester 14; Country Bob: Waverly 34, Chester 14; The Mick: Waverly 31, Chester 12.

OTHER GAMES OF INTEREST
FRIDAY
Burke Catholic at Owego, 7 p.m.: The Indians and Burke Catholic are both coming off 3-7 seasons.

Prediction: Another Section IV vs. Section IX match-up, which means I don’t know much about Burke Catholic. Burke did play most of the playoff teams it faced tough, while Owego — aside from its upset of Horseheads, did not fare well against teams that made the postseason. … BURKE CATHOLIC 21, OWEGO 12. … Little Red: Owego 28, Burke Catholic 20; Country Bob: Owego 21, Burke Catholic 7; The Mick: Owego 35, Burke 20.

SVEC at Wyalusing (0-1), 7 p.m.: The Rams are coming off a 43-16 loss to Nativity BVM, while the Eagles will play their first 11-man football game in since 2019.

Prediction: Wyalusing lost a lot of talent to graduation, but SVEC, which won the N.Y. State 8-man title, lost even more. … WYALUSING 27, SVEC 6. … Little Red: SVEC 21, Wyalusing 20;
Country Bob: Wyalusing 21, SVEC 20;  The Mick: SVEC 28, Wyalusing 13.

Muncy (1-0) at Wellsboro (0-1), 7 p.m.: The Hornets led Montoursville into the fourth quarter before dropping a 21-14 decision, while the Indians throttled Warrior Run, 56-6.

Prediction: Muncy returns a slew of talent from a 10-2 team, led by sophomore Austin Johnson, who ran for 1,181 yards and 16 TDs as a freshman, and junior QB Branson Eyer, who threw for 1,090 yards and 12 TDs, and ran for 622 yards and four TDs. … MUNCY 27, WELLSBORO 13. … Little Red: Wellsboro 21, Muncy 7; Country Bob: Wellsboro 28, Muncy 14; The Mick: Muncy 24, Wellsboro 7.

Montoursville (1-0) at Troy (1-0), 7 p.m.: The Warriors slipped past Wellsboro in a surprisingly-close 21-14 decision last week, while the Trojans won at Bald Eagle-Nittany, 20-9.

Prediction: Troy only threw the ball four times in its win over BEN. I don’t think they can get away with that against Montoursville, which was able to pass effectively against Wellsboro. … MONTOURSVILLE 25, TROY 20. … Little Red: Montoursville 21, Troy 0; Country Bob: Montoursville 21, Troy 13; The Mick: Montoursville 20, Troy 16.

Milton (1-0) at Towanda (1-0), 7 p.m.: The Black Knights are coming off a surprising 34-13 thumping of North Penn-Mansfield in Week 1, while the Panthers manhandled South Williamsport, 28-0.

Prediction: Towanda’s Riley Vanderpool is a stud as evidenced by his 279 rushing yards in Week 1, but the sledding will be much tougher this week. … MILTON 28, TOWANDA 7. … Little Red: Milton 21, Towanda 7; Country Bob: Towanda 28, Milton 7; The Mick: Towanda 16, Milton 12.

South Williamsport (0-1) at Montgomery (0-1), 7 p.m.: Both teams are coming off tough Week 1 losses, with the Red Raiders dropping a 42-0 decision to Hughesville, while South lost 28-0 to Milton.

Prediction: I can’t say I know I much about either team at this point, but the Mounties lost to a better team, and by fewer points. … SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT 27, MONTGOMERY 0. … Little Red: South 20, Montgomery 6; Country Bob: South 35, Montgomery 7; The Mick: South 20, Montgomery 7.

Cicero-North Syracuse at Horseheads, 6 p.m.: The Blue Raiders are coming off a 6-3 season, but suffered some major losses to graduation, while the North Stars, who reached the Class AA state semifinals.

Prediction: This is a tough game for a young Horseheads team to start with in Week Zero. … C-NS 41, HORSEHEADS 6. … Little Red: C-NS 35, Horseheads 21; Country Bob: Horseheads 24, C-SN 10; The Mick: Horseheads 14, C-NS 6.