FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 7 PICKS — ANOTHER PERFECT WEEKEND FOR VALLEY FOOTBALL? (2022-10-07)

It’s time for another “Football Friday” as the 2022 season is flying by.

The marquee match-up of the week is at Memorial Stadium as Waverly hosts divisional rival Susquehanna Valley in a battle of state-ranked teams for Homecoming. The winner virtually ensures itself a home game in the semifinals of the Section IV, Class C playoffs.

In other action, Athens is on the road at North Penn-Mansfield, while Tioga hosts Sidney.

I am coming off a perfect week, while The Mick and Little Red were both 9-1, and Country Bob was 8-2. For the season, I have a record of 42-8, while Little Red is 41-9, and The Mick and Country Bob are tied at 38-12.

Let’s take the plunge for this week:

FRIDAY
Susquehanna Valley (3-1) at Waverly (5-0), 7 p.m.: The state-ranked Wolverines are coming off a 35-6 win at Oneonta Saturday, while the Sabers dropped a 33-14 decision to Chenango Forks, which is ranked No. 2 in the state in Class C.

Waverly’s high-octane offense is averaging 417 yards (236.4 though the air, and 180.6 on the ground) , and 40 points per game, while SV, ranked 24th in Class C, is averaging 314.3 yards and 31 points per game.

Waverly, ranked 5th in Class C, has only beaten one team with a winning record (Chester, 3-1), while SV is 0-1 (Forks) against teams with a winning mark.

Prediction: It’s Homecoming, and the Wolverines have Chenango Forks at home next week. If there’s such a thing as a trap game, this is it. However, Jason Miller has been coaching long enough to have his troops focused. … WAVERLY 37, SUS. VALLEY 15.
Little Red: Waverly 35, SV 14; … The Mick: Waverly 28, SV 16; … Country Bob: Waverly 27, SV 12.

Athens (4-2) at North Penn-Mansfield (1-5), 7 p.m.: The Wildcats are coming off a 34-0 win over Towanda, while the Tigers won their first game of the season, topping Cowanesque Valley, 40-15.

Athens is outscoring its opponents 30.2 to 14.2, despite being outscored 65-21 in its two losses, while NP-M is being outscored 40.3 to 17.8.

The Wildcats have featured a balanced offense this season, while the Tigers have had problems stopping anyone — allowing 45.4 points per game in its losses.

NP-M throws the ball a lot with talented junior QB Karson Dominick, who has four receivers with at least 12 receptions, but Athens has been pretty good against the pass.

Prediction: Athens should be able to get its offense going tonight, and that could mean a lot of big plays in the passing game. … ATHENS 41, NP-M 13.
Little Red: Athens 42, NP-M 0; … The Mick: Athens 42, NP-M 7; … Country Bob: Athens 41, NP-M 7.

Sidney (1-3) at Tioga (5-0), 7 p.m.: The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in Class D in New York State, are coming off a 54-14 win over ninth-ranked Walton, while the Warriors topped Deposit-Hancock, 33-8, for their first win of the season.

Tioga is outscoring its opponents by an average of 49.6 to 10.6, and is carving defenses up through the air, and on the ground, while Sidney was outscored 36.7 to 15.3 in its first three games.

Prediction: The Tigers should have this game in hand by halftime. … TIOGA 54, SIDNEY 0.
Little Red: Tioga 58, Sidney 0; … The Mick: Tioga 54, Sidney 0; … Country Bob: Tioga 60, Sidney 0.

OTHER GAMES OF INTEREST
Bainbridge-Guilford (1-3) at SVEC (1-4), 7 p.m.: The Eagles are coming off a 49-0 loss to Delhi Saturday, while the Bears beat Harpursville / Afton, 21-7, for their first win of the season.

Prediction: The winner of this game is in the driver’s seat for the fourth and final playoff spot in Class D. SVEC is a little banged up after consecutive losses to Walton and Delhi. … SVEC 26, B-G 19.
Little Red: SVEC 21, B-G 14; … The Mick: SVEC 32, B-G 24; … Country Bob: B-G 30, SVEC 20.

Towanda (2-4) at Troy (6-0), 7 p.m.: The Black Knights are coming off a 34-0 loss to Athens, while the Trojans hammered Wellsboro, 45-3.

Prediction: The Trojans have been dominant since beginning NTL play, winning by an average of 36 points in four games. Tonight, will be no different. … TROY 45, TOWANDA 0.
Little Red: Troy 52, Towanda 0; …  The Mick: Troy 56, Towanda 6; … Country Bob: Troy 55, Towanda 6.

Montgomery (1-5) at Canton (6-0), 7 p.m.: The Red Raiders are coming off a 55-0 loss to Northwest Area, while the Warriors are coming off a 51-13 win over Wyalusing.

Prediction: The Warriors pitched four consecutive shutouts against NTL foes prior to last week, and are averaging 50.4 points per game against league foes. … CANTON 51, MONTGOMERY 0.
Little Red: Canton 56, Montgomery 0; … The Mick: Canton 54, Montgomery 0; … Country Bob: Canton 62, Montgomery 0.

Wyalusing (2-4) at Wellsboro (0-6), 7 p.m.: The Rams are coming off a 51-13 home loss to Canton, while the Hornets dropped a 45-3 decision at home against Troy.

Prediction: Both of the Rams’ wins are against one-win teams, while five of Wellsboro’s losses, aside from Towanda, come against teams with a combined record of 25-4. … WELLSBORO 26, WYALUSING 19.
Little Red: Wellsboro 21, Wyalusing 7; … The Mick: Wyalusing 14, Wellsboro 13; … Country Bob: Wellsboro 27, Wyalusing 6.

Elmira (3-1) at Corning (2-2), 7 p.m.: The Express are coming off a 62-28 win at Rome Free Academy, while the Hawks lost, 53-28, at Union-Endicott.

Prediction: All signs point to Elmira, but all bets are off in a rivalry game. … CORNING 27, ELMIRA 26.
Little Red: Corning 30, Elmira 22; … The Mick: Elmira 21, Corning 12; … Country Bob: Corning 42, Elmira 7.

Maine-Endwell (4-0) at Owego (1-4), 7 p.m.:  The Spartans, ranked No. 1 in Class B in N.Y. State, are coming off a 35-7 win over Windsor, while the Indians lost 35-12 at Horseheads.

Prediction: The Spartans already own wins over Chenango Forks and U-E, which does not bode well for Owego. … MAINE-ENDWELL 48, OWEGO 6.
Little Red: M-E 48, Owego 0; The Mick: M-E 48, Owego 0; … Country Bob: M-E 45, Owego 0.

Horseheads (3-2) at East Syracuse-Minoa (0-5), 7 p.m.: The Blue Raiders are coming off a 35-12 win over Owego, while the Spartans were blanked, 27-0 at West Genesee.

Prediction: Horseheads’ three wins come against teams with two combined wins, while ES-M has played five teams with winning records. … ES-MINOA 20, HORSEHEADS 13.
Little Red: Horseheads 34, ES-M 12; … The Mick: Horseheads 14, ES-M 0; … Country Bob: Horseheads 27, ES-M 6.