FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 6 PICKS — ANOTHER GOOD WEEKEND FOR VALLEY FOOTBALL? (2022-09-30)

The high school football season rolls on tonight with Athens returning home after a three-game road trip, and Tioga playing its home opener at Haggerty Field after four games away from home.

Athens hosts arch-rival Towanda, while Tioga plays Walton in a key Section IV, Division V game. Tomorrow, Waverly travels to Oneonta.

Last week was a tough one for our pigskin prognosticators. Little Red posted the best week at 8-2, while I was 7-3, and The Mick was 6-4. After back-to-back 10-0 weeks, Country Bob was 5-5 for the second time this season.

For the season, I am tied with Little Red atop the standings at 32-8, while Country Bob is 30-10, and The Mick is 29-11.

Let’s take the plunge for this week:

FRIDAY
Towanda (2-3) at Athens (3-2): The Wildcats are coming off a 32-7 loss at Troy, while the Black Knights thumped Wellsboro, 41-19.

Athens features a balanced offense, while Towanda has been run-oriented. Defensively, Athens has worn down late in its losses, while Towanda was dominated in two of its losses.

Athens’ wins come against teams with a combined record of 2-13, while its losses are against teams with a combined 8-2 record. Towanda is nearly identical with its wins against teams that are both 0-5, and its losses against teams with a combined record of 13-2.

Prediction: These teams are probably close to even in the trenches. Towanda’s Riley Vanderpool is a stud, but Athens has a lot of weapons. … ATHENS 28, TOWANDA 13. … Little Red: Athens 35, Towanda 7; … The Mick: Towanda 16, Athens 14; … Country Bob: Athens 21, Towanda 7.

Walton (3-0) at Tioga (4-0): The Tigers are coming off a 55-6 win at Bainbridge-Guilford, while the Warriors thumped SVEC, 60-32.

The Tigers are ranked atop the Class D rankings, while the Warriors are ranked ninth.

Both teams have shown the ability to run and throw the football, and score points. Tioga is averaging 47.8, and Walton is scoring at a clip of 56.7 points per game. Defensively, the Tigers are allowing 9.8 points per game, while the Warriors have allowed 21.3 points.

Prediction: Tioga is playing its first home game of the season, and has played a tougher schedule. … This is Tioga’s biggest test of the season. I think it’s a struggle early on. … TIOGA 34, WALTON 16. … Little Red: Tioga 42, Walton 14; …  The Mick: Tioga 27, Walton 20; … Country Bob: Tioga 34, Walton 13.

SATURDAY
Waverly (4-0) at Oneonta (1-2): The Wolverines are coming off a 47-14 win over Cowanesque Valley, while the Yellowjackets are coming off a 35-6 win over Chenango Valley.

Waverly, ranked fifth in the state in Class C, is averaging 41 points against a good schedule to this point. Oneonta scored just six points in losses to Delhi and Chenango Forks, then put it together against winless Chenango Valley.

Prediction: Look for Waverly’s offense to find success through the air, and on the ground this week, while the defense continues its solid play. … WAVERLY 42, ONEONTA 6. … Little Red: Waverly 35, Oneonta 13; …  The Mick: Waverly 34, Oneonta 16; Country Bob: Waverly 24, Oneonta 13.

OTHER GAMES OF INTEREST
Canton (5-0) at Wyalusing (2-3): The Warriors are coming off a 50-0 rout of South Williamsport, while the Rams blanked Montgomery, 26-0.

Prediction: Canton is a juggernaut, and Wyalusing has been dominated by good teams. Nothing changes tonight. … CANTON 55, WYALUSING 6. … Little Red: Canton 52, Wyalusing 0; … The Mick: Canton 48, Wyalusing 0; Country Bob: Canton 63, Wyalusing 0.

Troy (5-0) at Wellsboro (0-5): The Trojans are coming off a 32-7 win at Troy, while the Hornets dropped a 41-19 decision at Towanda.

Prediction: Troy is on a roll. Wellsboro is not. Nothing changes tonight. … TROY 41, WELLSBORO 0. … Little Red: Troy 42, Wellsboro 0; … The Mick: Troy 56, Wellsboro 7; … Country Bob: Troy 41, Wellsboro 0. (NOTE: Picks were made Thursday morning — Troy beat Wellsboro, 45-3, Thursday night.)

Owego (1-3) at Horseheads (2-2): The Indians are coming off a 45-34 loss to Johnson City, while the Blue Raiders thumped hapless Ithaca, 56-8.

Prediction: Horseheads has beaten two bad teams, and lost badly to very good teams. Owego falls somewhere in between. … HORSEHEADS 26, OWEGO 17. … Little Red: Horseheads 35, Owego 14; … The Mick: Horseheads 28, Owego 16; … Country Bob: Owego 20, Horseheads 13.

North Penn (0-5) at Cowanesque Valley (0-5): The Tigers are coming off a 49-19 loss at Muncy, while the Indians dropped a 47-14 decision at Waverly.

Prediction: Something has to give in this game of winless border rivals. … North Penn has lost its five games by an average of 32, while CV has come up short by an average of 34.4 points. … NORTH PENN 34, COWANESQUE VALLEY 26. … Little Red: Cowanesque Valley 27, North Penn 26; … The Mick: North Penn 21, CV 12; … Country Bob: North Penn 13, CV 6.

Elmira (2-1) at Rome Free Academy (1-3): The Express are coming off a 37-20 loss to Union-Endicott, while the Black Knights dropped a 52-14 decision to Utica Proctor.

Prediction: Elmira has been a pleasant surprise, and its win over Vestal looks even better after the Golden Bears knocked off Corning. RFA has given up a ton of points (44.7 per game). … ELMIRA 45, RFA 13. … Little Red: Elmira 42, RFA 6; … The Mick: Elmira 33, RFA 15; … Country Bob: Elmira 35, RFA 13.

Corning (2-1) at Union-Endicott (2-1): The Hawks are coming off a 15-12 home loss to Vestal, while the Tigers topped Elmira, 37-20.

Prediction: U-E appears to be the class of the Large Schools in Section IV. … U-E 27, CORNING 13. … Little Red: U-E 28, Corning 14; … The Mick: U-E 39, Corning 21; … Country Bob: Corning 20, U-E 19.

SVEC (1-3) at Delhi (3-0): The Bulldogs are coming off a 48-20 win over Sidney, while SVEC dropped a 60-32 decision to Walton.

Prediction: Delhi has beat up on three bad teams, while SVEC has a tough re-introduction into 11-man football with games against Susquehanna Valley and Walton. That said, the Eagles are a bit banged up. … DELHI 36, SVEC 23. … Little Red: Delhi 35, SVEC 7; … The Mick: Delhi 40, SVEC 14; … Country Bob: Delhi 27, SVEC 20.