FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 7 PICKS — TIOGA, WAVERLY, ATHENS AT HOME (2024-10-04)

It’s Week 7 of the high school football season, and it features three Valley teams at home — Tioga and Waverly on Friday, and Athens on Saturday.

Tioga will host Delhi, a team many pundits believe will win Class D’s Division VI, while Waverly hosts Division V rival Schuyler, and Athens hosts longtime NTL rival Towanda.

Last week was a fair one for the Pigskins Prognosticators. I went 9-2, while The Mick, Country Bob, and Little Red were all 8-3. For the season, The Mick leads the Pack at 50-9, while Little Red and I are 46-13, and Country Bob is 44-15.

So what do the pigskin pickers predict for Week 8? Let’s take a look:

FRIDAY
Delhi (2-2) at Tioga (3-1): The Tigers are coming off a 28-0 win at SVEC, while the Bulldogs dropped a 21-14 decision to Lansing.

Tioga looked very good defensively against SVEC, and found its groove offensively in the second quarter.

Delhi has good skill players, and is well coached, that much we know. The key will be how good they are up front.

Prediction: Tioga’s ground will wear down the Bulldogs. … TIOGA 27, DELHI 13.
The Mick: Tioga 26, Delhi 6. … Country Bob: Tioga 35, Delhi 6. … Little Red: Tioga 28, Delhi 7.

Schuyler (0-2) at Waverly (3-1): The Wolverines are coming off a 42-41 overtime loss at Maine-Endwell, while the Lake Hawks have been off since a 61-12 loss to Windsor in Week 1.

The Wolverines offense is clicking in high gear with sophomore QB Ben Shaw looking more comfortable each week, and seniors Xavier Watson and Kolsen Keathley making big play after big play.

Prediction: Schuyler lost a lot to graduation, and is definitely in re-build mode. That’s not a good place to be against this Waverly team. … WAVERLY 61, SCHUYLER 6.
The Mick: Waverly 64, Schuyler 0. … Country Bob: Waverly 47, Schuyler 0. … Little Red: Waverly 49, Schuyler 0.

Sayre (1-5) at South Williamsport (3-3): The Redskins are coming off a 21-12 win over Northwest Area, while the Mounties edged Cowanesque Valley, 23-19.

Sayre’s defense was much-improved in its win, and junior QB Karter Green is becoming a force running the ball.

Prediction: South is not what it was the last few years, but it should still have enough. … SOUTH 34, SAYRE 13.
The Mick: South 32, Sayre 7. … Country Bob: South 54, Sayre 0. … Little Red: South 42, Sayre 7.

Wyalusing (3-3) at Canton (3-3): The Rams are coming off a 41-6 loss to Troy, while the Warriors dropped a 40-14 decision to Towanda.

Prediction: Injuries have taken a toll on Canton. … WYALUSING 26, CANTON 20. … The Mick: Wyalusing 27, Canton 21. … Country Bob: Wyalusing 27, Canton 20. … Little Red: Wyalusing 36, Canton 21.

Troy (6-0) at Wellsboro (1-5): The Trojans are coming off a 41-6 win over Wyalusing, while the Hornets dropped a 21-13 decision at Athens.

Prediction: Wellsboro is improving each week, but Troy is in a class by itself in the NTL. … TROY 55, Wellsboro 0.
The Mick: Troy 54, Wellsboro 8. … Country Bob: Troy 60, Wellsboro 0. … Little Red: Troy 56, Wellsboro 0.

NP-Mansfield (2-4) at Muncy (5-1): The Tigers are coming off a 70-24 loss to Warrior Run, while the Indians rolled over Montgomery, 41-7.

Prediction: NP-M is better than we thought, but Muncy is on a roll. … MUNCY 49, NP-M 13.
The Mick: Muncy 33, NP-M 6. … Country Bob: Muncy 35, NP-M 13. … Little Red: Muncy 41, NP-M 20.

SATURDAY
Towanda (4-2) at Athens (3-3): The Wildcats are coming off a 21-13 win over Wellsboro, while the Black Knights thumped Canton, 40-14.

Aside from a 4 1/2-minute stretch to end the first half last week, Athens did not produce any points against a Wellsboro defense that was allowing more than 35 points per game in its losses, while Towanda took advantage of a banged-up Canton defense.

Prediction: This looks to be a battle of QBs in Athens sophomore Connor Davidson, and Towanda senior Riley Vanderpool. If someone else steps up, that could be the difference. … TOWANDA 36, ATHENS 28.
The Mick: Towanda 29, Athens 13. … Country Bob: Towanda 35, Athens 30. … Little Red: Towanda 35, Athens 14.

Oneonta (2-2) at Owego (3-0): The River Hawks are coming off an impressive 35-14 win over Class A Horseheads, while the Yellowjackets topped Class C Sidney, 31-8.

Prediction: Owego can run the football, and is dangerous through the air if you sell out to stop the run. This is the first Class B opponent Oneonta has faced as it opens divisional play. … OWEGO 56, ONEONTA 7.
The Mick: Owego 53, Oneonta 7. … Country Bob: Owego 35, Oneonta 14. … Little Red: Owego 35, Oneonta 7.

Susquehanna Valley (1-2) at Newark Valley (1-3): The Cardinals are coming off a 40-3 loss to state-ranked Chenango Forks, while the Sabers dropped a 45-7 decision to Norwich.

Prediction: SV has played a tougher slate of games, but this is probably a toss-up. … SV 26, NV 20.
The Mick: NV 8, SV 7. … Country Bob: NV 21, SV 13. … Little Red: NV 28, SV 13.

SVEC (1-3) at Harpursville-Afton (0-3): The Eagles are coming off a 28-0 loss to state-ranked Tioga, while the Hornets dropped a 40-6 decision to state-ranked B-G.

Prediction: Logan Aman returns for SVEC, so look for its ground gain to kick back into high gear against an H-A team that has struggled to stop anyone. … SVEC 47, H-A 6.
The Mick: SVEC 30, H-A: 0. … Country Bob: SVEC 27, H-A 6. … Little Red: SVEC 27, H-A 16.

CMVT (4-2) at Cowanesque Valley (1-5): The Indians are coming off a hard-fought, 23-19, loss to South Williamsport, while the Rams dropped a 34-6 decision to Jenkintown.

Prediction: CMVT’s four wins come against teams with a combined record of 3-20, and CV has played a challenging schedule. … CV 32, CMVT 20.
The Mick: CMVT 36, CV 22. … Country Bob: CV 34, CMVT 6. … Little Red: CV 27, CMVT 0.



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