FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 11 PICKS — CAN ALL THREE VALLEY TEAMS ADVANCE? (2022-11-04)

Postseason football is upon us. Where did the season go?

All three Valley teams qualified this season, and two of them will have home games. It would have been a perfect three-for-three, but Class D is the only playoff in Section IV that uses neutral sites.

Week 10 was an OK week for our pigskin prognosticators. All four pigskin pickers missed both the Wellsboro-North Penn, and Newark Valley-Windsor games last week. … Little Red, Country Bob, and I all went 8-2 on the week, and The Mick was 7-3.

On the season, I lead the pack with a 78-12 record, while Little Red is 76-14, Country Bob is 71-19, and The Mick is 69-21.

So what does our wannabe pigskin clairvoyants think this week has in store for us? Let’s take the plunge and see:

FRIDAY
Section IV, Class C Semifinals
3-Susquehanna Valley (5-3) at 2-Waverly (8-1): The Wolverines are coming off a 34-17 win at Norwich, while the Sabers topped Chenango Valley, 28-12.

Waverly beat SV, 34-12, during the regular season, but it could have been much closer had it not been for a couple drops and misplays. That said, the Sabers had little luck stopping Waverly’s high-octane offense.

Prediction: Waverly’s defense has been in the shadow of its offense, but has been a difference-maker this season. … WAVERLY 30, SUS. VALLEY 19.
Little Red: Waverly 33, SV 14; … The Mick: Waverly 35, SV 16; … Country Bob: Waverly 34, SV 12.

4-Newark Valley (2-6) at Chenango Forks (8-1): The Blue Devils are coming off a 41-6 win over Owego, while the Cardinals dropped a 39-8 decision at home to Windsor.

Prediction: Two weeks ago, home-standing Chenango Forks was fortunate to escape with a 12-7 win over Newark Valley. I doubt it will be that close again. … CHENANGO FORKS 21, NEWARK VALLEY 6.
Little Red: Forks 28, NV 7; … The Mick: Forks 27, NV 12; … Country Bob: Forks 28, NV 12.

Section IV, Class AA Semifinals
3-Binghamton (2-7) at 2-Elmira (6-2): The Express is coming off a 50-26 win over Elmira, while the Patriots dropped a 46-23 decision to Union-Endicott.

Prediction: Elmira has one of the highest-scoring offenses in Section IV, while Binghamton’s defense gives up more points than most. … ELMIRA 52, BINGHAMTON 20.
Little Red: Elmira 48, Binghamton 6; …  The Mick: Elmira 33, Binghamton 0; … Country Bob: Elmira 28, Binghamton 20.

Section IV, Class A Semifinals
Horseheads (4-5) at Vestal (5-3): The Blue Raiders are coming off a 50-26 loss to Elmira, while the Golden Bears rolled over Lansingburgh, 47-6.

Prediction: Vestal has played very well over its last six games, while Horseheads is banged up. … VESTAL 34, HORSEHEADS 13.
Little Red: Vestal 28, Horseheads 7; … The Mick: Vestal 30, Horseheads 16; … Country Bob: Vestal 35, Horseheads 6.

District 4, Class AA Quarterfinals
7-Towanda at 2-Troy: The Black Knights are coming off a 48-13 win over Wyalusing, while the Trojans dropped a 28-14 decision to Canton.

Prediction: Troy won the first meeting of the season, 49-0. It may not be quite as lopsided this season, but then again … TROY 47, TOWANDA 0.
Little Red: Troy 42, Towanda 6; … The Mick: Troy 45, Towanda 6; … Country Bob: Troy 48, Towanda 0.

8-North Penn (3-7) at 1-Mount Carmel (10-0): The Tigers are coming off a 24-21 win over arch-rival Wellsboro, while the Red Tornadoes blanked Shamokin, 41-0.

Prediction: Mount Carmel looks like the Mount Carmel of old this season, which is not good news for North Penn. … MOUNT CARMEL 58, NORTH PENN 6.
Little Red: Mount Carmel 56, North Penn 6; … The Mick: Mount Carmel 44, North Penn 7; … Country Bob: Mount Carmel 47, North Penn 6.

SATURDAY
District 4, Class 3A quarterfinals
5-Montoursville (4-6) at 4-Athens (6-4): The Wildcats are coming off a 29-13 loss to Tioga, while the Warriors dropped a 46-14 decision to Loyalsock.

Montoursville is on a five-game losing streak, but those teams — Southern Columbia, Danville, Jersey Shore, Selinsgrove, and Loyalsock — have a combined record of 44-6.

Athens has not beaten a team with a winning record, while Montoursville’s lone win over a winning team was a 29-21 victory over Bald Eagle Area. They played three common opponents, and had similar results, both posting a 2-1 record.

Prediction: It would be hard to believe Montoursville is at its peak after the meat grinder its run through the last five weeks. … ATHENS 24, MONTOURSVILLE 23.
Little Red: Athens 21, Montoursville 14; … The Mick: Montoursville 28, Athens 27; … Country Bob: Montoursville 35, Athens 13.

Section IV, Class D semifinals
@ Johnson City High School
1-Tioga (9-0) vs. 4-SVEC (4-4): The Tigers are going off a 29-13 win at Athens, while the Eagles received a forfeit from Harpursville / Afton.

Tioga dominated SVEC in a 55-6 win three weeks ago, pulling away with a big second half.

Prediction: SVEC is definitely the best of the rest in Class D, but they can’t compete with the Tigers. … TIOGA 55, SVEC 6.
Little Red: Tioga 62, SVEC 0; … The Mick: Tioga 63, SVEC 12; … Country Bob: Tioga 42, SVEC 6.

2-Delhi at 3-Walton: These two arch-rivals are playing for the second week in a row, this time in a win-or-go-home contest. Delhi won the season finale, 42-30, last week.

Prediction: Walton may be a bit better in the trenches, but Delhi has better athletes. I’m not sure Walton can keep it close this time around. … DELHI 42, WALTON 22.
Little Red: Delhi 42, Walton 30; … The Mick: Delhi 35, Walton 30; … Country Bob: Walton 35, Delhi 13.

District 4, Class A semifinals
3-South Williamsport (6-3) at 2-Canton (9-1): The Warriors are coming off a 28-14 win over arch-rival Troy, while the Mounties rolled over Northwest Area, 55-6.

Prediction: Canton won the regular-season meeting, 50-0. It might not be that bad this time around, but then again … CANTON 48, SOUTH 0.
Little Red: Canton 42, South 6; … The Mick: Canton 44, South 7; … Country Bob: Canton 42, South 7.