FROM THE PRESS BOX: COULD THIS BE FIRST SUB-PAR WEEK OF SEASON FOR VALLEY TEAMS? (2022-10-14)

Two of the Valley teams face highly-ranked opponents this week as Waverly (fifth in Class C) hosts Chenango Forks (second in Class C), and Athens is on the road at Canton (third in Class A).

Tioga (ranked first in Class D) is on the road at SVEC.

Last week was a pretty good one for our pigskin prognosticators. Little Red posted his first perfect 10-0 of the season, while Country Bob and I were both 9-1, and The Mick was 8-2. … On the season, Little Red and I are tied at 51-9, while Country Bob is 47-13, and The Mick is 46-24.

Let’s take the plunge for this week:

Chenango Forks (5-1) at Waverly (6-0), 7 p.m.:  The Wolverines are coming off a 34-12 win over Susquehanna Valley, while the Blue Devils throttled arch-rival Chenango Valley, 62-7.

Chenango Forks has won nine straight Section IV titles, including a 34-6 win over Waverly in last year’s Class C title game. In that game, the Wolverines struggled to get off the field against Forks’ ground-and-pound offense. Their ability to get off the field will be crucial tonight.

Waverly’s experience in last year’s Class C title game makes them fully aware of Forks’ physicality. And, this year’s team is more athletic than last year’s team.

Prediction: Waverly struggled to stop Newark Valley’s ground game, and had some problems early against Cowanesque Valley. … Forks always seems to put together a defensive game plan to slow down the Wolverines. … FORKS 22, WAVERLY 20.
Little Red: Waverly 28, Forks 21; … The Mick: Waverly 28, Forks 16; … Country Bob: Forks 27, Waverly 13.

Athens (5-2) at Canton (7-0), 7 p.m.: The Wildcats are coming off a 55-0 whitewashing of North Penn-Mansfield, while the Warriors are coming off a 73-6 shellacking of Montgomery.

Athens’ five wins come against teams with a combined 6-29 record, while Canton has two wins over teams with .500 or better records.


Prediction: Athens needs to do two things to have a chance to win. One, contain Canton’s ground game. Two, give senior QB Mason Lister time to throw. … CANTON 36, ATHENS 14.
Little Red: Canton 35, Athens 7; … The Mick: Canton 46, Athens 7; … Country Bob: Canton 48, Athens 10.

Tioga (6-0) at SVEC (2-3), 7 p.m.: The Tigers are coming off a 60-0 win over Sidney, while the Eagles are fresh off a 50-0 win over Bainbridge-Guilford.

Tioga, ranked No. 1 in the state in Class D, is scoring nearly 51 points per game, behind a big-play offense that is averaging 10.4 yards per play. … SVEC gave up 109 points in losses to Walton (60-32) and Sidney (49-0).

Prediction: There’s a pretty good chance this game is a preview of the Section IV, Class D semifinals. … TIOGA 55, SVEC 6.
Little Red: Tioga 60, SVEC 0; … The Mick: Tioga 54, SVEC 6 … Country Bob: Tioga 56, SVEC 0.

Towanda (2-5) at Hughesville (3-4), 7 p.m.: The Black Knights are coming off a 49-0 loss at unbeaten Troy, while the Spartans dropped a 46-20 decision to unbeaten Mount Carmel.

Prediction: Hughesville’s three wins come against teams with a combined four wins, while Towanda’s two wins come against teams with two wins between them. This is a toss-up, so I’ll take the home team. … HUGHESVILLE 27, TOWANDA 20.
Little Red: Hughesville 42, Towanda 13; … The Mick: Towanda 16, Hughesville 14; … Country Bob: Hughesville 42, Towanda 13.

Wyalusing (2-5) at Loyalsock (6-1), 7 p.m.: The Rams are coming off a 41-6 loss to previously-winless Wellsboro, while the Lancers, ranked fifth in the state in Class AAA topped Lewisburg, 41-7.

Prediction: Loyalsock beat Southern Columbia, and lost by a field goal to Danville, ranked third in the state in Class AAA. Wyalusing is overmatched. … LOYALSOCK 55, WYALUSING 6.
Little Red: Loyalsock 56, Wyalusing 0; … The Mick: Loyalsock 56, Wyalusing 0; … Country Bob: Loyalsock 48, Wyalusing 6.

Owego (1-5) at Windsor (2-3), 7 p.m.: The Indians are coming off a 42-7 loss to Maine-Endwell, ranked No. 1 in the state in Class B, while Windsor topped Johnson City, 40-26.

Prediction: A win puts Owego in the running for a postseason berth, but I don’t think its meant to be. … WINDSOR 26, OWEGO 14.
Little Red: Windsor 35, Owego 21; … The Mick: Windsor 20, Owego 12; … Country Bob: Owego 19, Windsor 13.

Horseheads (4-2) at Vestal (3-2), 7 p.m.: The Blue Raiders are coming off a 40-20 win over East Syracuse-Minoa, while the Golden Bears rolled over Ithaca, 65-0.

Prediction: Horseheads’ four wins come against teams with a combined 3-21 record. Vestal beat Corning. … VESTAL 40, HORSEHEADS 14.
Little Red: Vestal 21, Horseheads 14; … The Mick: Vestal 24, Horseheads 13; … Country Bob: Vestal 32, Horseheads 13.

Elmira (3-2) at Binghamton (1-5), 7 p.m.: The Express dropped a 22-18 decision at Corning, while the Patriots are coming off a 29-20 win over Section III’s Henninger.

Prediction: Elmira has shown the ability to score points against bad teams. Binghamton is allowing nearly 37 points per game. … ELMIRA 41, BINGHAMTON 20.
Little Red: Elmira 48, Binghamton 0; … The Mick: Elmira 48, Binghamton 7; … Country Bob: Binghamton 28, Elmira 24.

Wellsboro (1-6) at South Williamsport (3-3), 7 p.m.: The Green Hornets are coming off a 41-6 win over Wyalusing, while the Mounties dropped a 21-14 decision to Muncy.

Prediction: Wellsboro has played a rugged schedule this year, and it doesn’t get much easier this week. South’s three losses come to teams with a combined record of 19-1. … SOUTH 34, WELLSBORO 14.
Little Red: South 33, Wellsboro 13; … The Mick: South 14, Wellsboro 13; … Country Bob: South 35, Wellsboro 12.

Saturday
Troy (7-0) at Northwest Area (5-2), 7 p.m.: The Trojans are coming off a 49-0 win over Towanda, while the Rangers dropped a 35-6 decision to Conemaugh Township.

Prediction: Troy is the real deal, and Northwest hasn’t beaten a team with more than two wins. … TROY 42, NORTHWEST 0.
Little Red: Troy 55, Northwest 6; … The Mick: Troy 36, Northwest 7; … Country Bob: Troy 35, Northwest 13.