FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 5 PICKS — WAVERLY, TIOGA FACE TOUGH NON-LEAGUE FOES; ATHENS LOOKS TO BOUNCE BACK (2024-09-20)

It’s Week 5 of the high school football season, and there are some good games on the schedule this weekend.

Waverly hosts Horseheads tonight in a battle of unbeatens, while Tioga puts its 43-game win streak on the line against perennial Class C power Chenango Forks in the Tigers’ first road game of the season.

On Saturday, Athens looks to bounce back from its loss at Troy in a home game against North-Penn Mansfield, while Sayre hosts a Muncy team that appears to be finding its groove.

Speaking of finding a groove, The Mick, Country Bob, and I were all 10-0 last week in our pigskin prognostications, while Little Red was 9-1.

For the season, The Mick is 33-4, while Country Bob is 32-5, Little Red is 30-7, and I and 29-8.

So what do the pigskin pickers predict for Week 5? Let’s take a look:

FRIDAY
Horseheads (2-0) at Waverly (2-0): The Wolverines are coming off a 57-0 lambasting of Binghamton, while the Blue Raiders rolled over Norwich, 42-7.

Waverly has allowed just 3 points in two games, while Horseheads has scored 97, so something has to give.

Prediction: This is by far, Horseheads’ biggest test of the season. In games like this, it comes down to the trenches, and the Wolverines have one of the best lines in Section IV, and a lot of talent behind it. … WAVERLY 24, HORSEHEADS 7.
The Mick: Waverly 28, Horseheads 12. … Country Bob: Horseheads 27, Waverly 13. … Little Red: Waverly 28, Horseheads 21.

Tioga (2-0) at Chenango Forks (2-0): The Tigers are coming off a 31-20 win over Windsor, while the Blue Devils blanked Johnson City, 26-0.

As I’ve said, Tioga’s demise has been greatly exaggerated, and I’m curious to see if the same is true for Forks, who have been rumored to be down up front.

Prediction: If there’s one coach (there are actually) who is as accomplished as Tioga’s Nick Aiello, it’s Forks’ Dave Hogan, who always has his teams ready. Forks is a machine, and playing at home will help this team, which is a little young by Blue Devil standards. ... I've waffled on this pick all week  … FORKS 21, TIOGA 20.
The Mick: Forks 32, Tioga 24. … Country Bob: Tioga 18, Forks 13. … Little Red: Forks 27, Tioga 14.

Norwich (1-1) at Owego (1-0): The River Hawks are coming off an impressive 34-0 win over U-E, while the Purple Tornado dropped a 42-7 decision to Horseheads.

Prediction: After a slow start, Owego’s offense roared to life in the second half of last week’s win. It won’t take that long tonight. … OWEGO 41, NORWICH 6.
The Mick: Owego 54, Norwich 0. … Country Bob: Owego 27, Norwich 20. … Little Red: Owego 35, Norwich 14.

Bainbridge-Guilford (2-0) at SVEC (1-1): The Eagles are coming off a 35-22 win at Dryden, while the Bobcats beat Walton, 34-14.

Prediction: It’s been a long time since B-G beat Walton, and it’s no fluke. … B-G 42, SVEC 20.
The Mick: B-G 36, SVEC 25. … Country Bob: SVEC 28, B-G 13. …
Little Red: B-G 22, SVEC 13.

Montgomery (2-2) at Canton (3-1): The Warriors are coming off a 51-40 win over North Penn-Mansfield, while the Red Raiders thumped Wyalusing, 29-3.

Prediction: The Warriors have allowed 88 points in their last two games, while Montgomery has scored 84. … MONTGOMERY 42, CANTON 36.
The Mick: Montgomery 35, Canton 28. …  Country Bob: Canton 42, Montgomery 13. … Little Red: Montgomery 35, Canton 27.

Towanda (3-1) at Troy (4-0): The Trojans are coming off a 55-0 win over Athens, while the Black Knights topped Wellsboro, 36-16.

Prediction: The Trojans are just hands down the best team in NTL, and possibly in District 4. … TROY 56, TOWANDA 0.
The Mick: Troy 63, Towanda 7. … Country Bob: Troy 48, Towanda 6. … Little Red: Troy 52, Towanda 7.

Cowanesque Valley (1-3) at Wellsboro (0-4): The Indians are coming off a 50-21 win over Sayre, while the Hornets dropped a 36-16 decision at Towanda.

Prediction: Wellsboro has played much better the last two weeks, but the Hess brothers (Dave and Graham) could be the difference tonight. … CV 27, WELLSBORO 19.
The Mick: Wellsboro 16, CV 14. … Country Bob: CV 34, Wellsboro 23. Little Red: CV 28, Wellsboro 7.

South Williamsport (3-2) at Wyalusing (3-2): The Mounties pulled out a 21-19 win over Wyalusing Thursday night. … SOUTH 27, WYALUSING 13.
The Mick: South 18, Wyalusing 13. … Country Bob: South 27, Wyalusing 6. … Little Red: South 28, Wyalusing 13.

SATURDAY
North Penn-Mansfield (1-3) at Athens (2-2): The Wildcats are coming off a 55-0 loss at Troy, while the Tigers dropped a 51-40 shootout against Canton.

Considering all the talent this Athens group has lost via transfers in the the last two years, this is proving to be a pretty resilient (and talented) bunch.

Prediction: Connor Davidson & Co. will have an opportunity to get its offense back in gear against an NP-M defense that is allowing 36.3 points per game in its three losses. … ATHENS 45, NP-M 26.
The Mick: Athens 28, NP-M 21. … Country Bob: Athens 35, NP-M 27. …  Little Red: Athens 34, NP-M 21.

Muncy (3-1) at Sayre (0-4): The Redskins are coming off a 50-21 loss to Cowanesque Valley, while the Indians rubbed Northwest Area, 61-0.

Prediction: Muncy has averaged 51.7 points per game in its three consecutive wins, while Sayre is allowing 56 points per game in its four losses. … MUNCY 56, SAYRE 6.
The Mick: Muncy 48, Sayre 6. … Country Bob: Muncy 55, Sayre 6. … Little Red: Muncy 42, Sayre 0.

Whitney Point (1-1)  at Newark Valley (1-1): The Cardinals are coming off a 21-13 win over Schuyler, while the Eagles edged Oneonta, 9-8.

Prediction: The Cardinals got a big win for their confidence last week. This week, they keep it rolling. … NEWARK VALLEY 46, WHITNEY POINT 9.
The Mick: Newark Valley 23, Whitney Point 7. … Country Bob: Newark Valley 21, Whitney Point 14. Little Red: NV 28, WP 6.

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