FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 5 PICKS — TWO OUT OF THREE FOR VALLEY TEAMS? (2022-09-23)

Football Friday is upon us, and all three Valley teams are in action under the lights on a Friday for the first time this season.

Athens is in the marquee match-up of the night at Troy’s Alparaon Park against the unbeaten Trojans, while Waverly hosts winless Cowanesque Valley, and Tioga is on the road at winless Bainbridge-Guilford.

I had a solid week picking last week at 9-1, but Country Bob was 10-0 again. Little Red was 9-1, and The Mick was 8-2. On the season, I am tied with Country Bob at 25-5, while Little Red is 24-6, and The Mick is 23-7.

As for this weekend, we move forward to the pigskin prognostications:

Athens (3-1 overall, 2-0 NTL Large) at Troy (4-0, 2-0), 7 p.m. @ Alparon Park: The Wildcats are coming off a 23-13 win at Wellsboro, while the Trojans rolled to a 44-12 win over Wyalusing.

Troy has outscored its opponents 37.5-10 this season, while Athens has outscored its opponents 42-7 during its three-game win streak. Athens’ wins have come against teams with a combined record of 1-11, while Troy has wins over Montoursville (3-1) and Bald Eagle Area (2-2).

Prediction: The Wildcats need to do two things: 1. Contain Troy’s run game; and 2. Protect senior QB Mason Lister. … TROY 34, ATHENS 14. … Little Red: Troy 35, Athens 21; … The Mick: Troy 32, Athens 16; … Country Bob: Troy 35, Athens 6.

Cowanesque Valley (0-4) at Waverly (3-0), 7 p.m. @ Memorial Stadium: The Wolverines are coming off a 52-34 win over Newark Valley, while the Indians suffered a 57-14 home loss to South Williamsport.

Waverly played very well defensively in its first two games, but struggled to stop Newark Valley’s power run game in Week 3. CV has some weapons, but the Wolverines appear to have a clear advantage up front.

Waverly’s offense has been very balanced, but junior QB Joey Tomasso threw for more than 300 yards last week — 225 of it going to junior wideout Jay Pipher, who had three receiving TDs, and a 64-yard TD run.

Prediction: This is a clear mismatch on paper, and it will be on the field as well. … WAVERLY 56, COWANESQUE VALLEY 0. … Little Red: Waverly 49, CV 0; … The Mick: Waverly 72, CV 0; … Country Bob: Waverly 52, CV 6.

Tioga (3-0) at Bainbridge-Guilford (0-2), 7 p.m.: The Tigers are coming off a 54-7 win at Harpursville-Afton last week, while the Bears dropped a 51-3 decision to Delhi.

Tioga’s offense has scored nearly 40 points per game, but I don’t think it’s anywhere near as good as it will be. Defensively, the Tigers have also been very good, but again they will only get better.

Prediction: Another mismatch on paper, and another mismatch on the field. … TIOGA 54, BAINBRIDGE-GUILFORD 0. … Little Red: Tioga 58, B-G 0; …  The Mick: Tioga 73, B-G 0; … Country Bob: Tioga 56, B-G 0.

Wellsboro (0-4) at Towanda (1-3), 7 p.m.: The Hornets are coming off a 23-13 loss to Athens, while the Black Knights were throttled by Canton, 63-0.

Aside from its 35-0 loss to Canton, Wellsboro’s three losses are by an average of 8.3 points per game. Towanda beat NP-M in its season-opener, and lost a hard-fought game to Milton in Week 2, but have been blown out in each of the last two games.

Prediction: Wellsboro opened the season with a rugged schedule, but has competed. … WELLSBORO 27, TOWANDA 12. … Little Red: Wellsboro 28, Towanda 13; … The Mick: Wellsboro 21, Towanda 14; … Country Bob: Wellsboro 35, Towanda 13.

North Penn-Mansfield (0-4) at Muncy (3-0), 7 p.m.: The Tigers are coming off a 35-21 loss to Northwest Area, while the Indians thumped Montgomery, 56-15.

NP-M was blown out in each of their first three losses, but looked better last week. Muncy has dominated two of its three opponents. …

Prediction: Muncy keeps it rolling at home. … MUNCY 41, NORTH PENN 13. … Little Red: Muncy 42, NP-M 13;  … The Mick: Muncy 48, NP-M 8; … Country Bob: Muncy 28, NP-M 6.

Wyalusing (1-3) at Montgomery (1-3), 7 p.m.: The Rams are coming off a 44-12 loss to Troy, while the Red Raiders are coming off a 56-15 loss at Muncy.

Aside from its win over CV, Montgomery has lost by an average of 42.7 points per game, while Wyalusing, aside from its win over SVEC, has lost by an average of 35.7 points per game.

Prediction: This may be the toughest pick of the week. In that case, I’ll go with the home team. … MONTGOMERY 21, WYALUSING 20. … Little Red: Wyalusing 27, Montgomery 14; … The Mick: Montgomery 14, Wyalusing 13; … Country Bob: Montgomery 21, Wyalusing 13.

Union-Endicott (1-1) at Elmira, 7 p.m.: The Tigers are coming off a 32-7 win over Horseheads, while the Express won at Vestal, 42-34.

U-E played Maine-Endwell tough in a 14-0 Week 1 loss. Elmira’s offense has been impressive, but it’s defense struggled to contain Vestal.

Prediction: Elmira’s Amir Williams is a talented runner, but U-E has a little too much for the Express. … U-E 40, ELMIRA 22. … Little Red: U-E 28, Elmira 22; … The Mick: Elmira 28, U-E 14; … Country Bob: Elmira 28, U-E 14.

Vestal at Corning, 7 p.m.: The Golden Bears are coming off a 42-34 home loss to Elmira, while the Hawks beat Binghamton, 61-37.

Prediction: Vestal looked better in Week 2, but Corning is on a different level right now. … CORNING 51, VESTAL 26. … Little Red: Corning 35, Vestal 14; … The Mick: Corning 30, Vestal 17; … Country Bob: Corning 30, Vestal 20.

Horseheads (1-2) at Ithaca (1-2), 7 p.m.: The Blue Raiders are coming off a 32-7 loss to U-E, while the Little Red dropped a 24-0 decision to Windsor.

Prediction: Horseheads is a little down this year, but it’s Ithaca. … HORSEHEADS 39, ITHACA 13. … Little Red: Horseheads 42, Ithaca 7; … The Mick: Horseheads 26, Ithaca 0; … Country Bob: Ithaca 13, Horseheads 6.

SATURDAY
South Williamsport (3-1) at Canton (4-0), 1 p.m.: The Warriors are coming off a 63-0 win over Towanda, while the Mounties blasted CV, 57-14.

Canton has been simply dominant on both sides of the ball, outscoring its opponents by an average of 45.5 to 4.5, while South has beaten inferior teams soundly, but was manhandled by Milton, 28-0.

Prediction: Canton is clicking on all cylinders, and that won’t change this weekend. … CANTON 38, SOUTH 6. … Little Red: Canton 36, South 13; …  The Mick: Canton 44, South 12; … Country Bob: Canton 42, South 13.

Walton (2-0) at SVEC (1-1), 1:30 p.m.: The Warriors are coming off a 54-12 win over Deposit-Hancock, while the Eagles topped Sidney, 48-26.

Prediction: SVEC Is better than expected, but Walton has its sights set on a Section IV crown. Trap game? I don’t think so. … WALTON 40, SVEC 18. … Little Red: Walton 42, SVEC 16; …
The Mick: Walton 49, SVEC 7; … Country Bob: Walton 56, SVEC 6.