FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 6 PICKS — ALL FOUR VALLEY TEAMS PLAY DIVISIONAL FOES, CAN THEY GO 4-0? (2025-09-26)

All four Valley football teams are playing divisional rivals this weekend, but only Tioga is at home as it opens league play against arch-rival Newark Valley.

Also on Friday, Waverly is on the road against Johnson City, playing the Wildcats for the first time since 2019, and Athens is playing at Wellsboro.

On Saturday, Sayre travels to Shickshinny to take on Northwest Area.

Perhaps the biggest game of the weekend has Owego on the road at Maine-Endwell.

VSR Pigskin Prognosticators were nothing to write home about last week, except for Country Bob, who posted a 9-2 week. The Mick and Little Red were a respectable 8-3, and I had a mediocre 7-4 mark.

On the season, The Mick and Country Bob are 35-13 and Little Red and I are 34-14.

Without further ado, the VSR Pigskin Pickers make their picks for Week 6 (Week 5 in Pa. and Week 3 in N.Y.):

Athens (4-1) at Wellsboro (3-2): The Wildcats are coming off a 54-13 win at North Penn, while the Hornets rolled to a 37-15 win at Cowanesque Valley.

Athens has been clicking offensively behind dual-threat junior QB Connor Davidson, while a young Wellsboro team seems to be putting things together, albeit against three teams with a combined record of 3-12.

The Wildcats' defense has been a bit overlooked this season, but its first-team defense has allowed just five TDs in the four games against teams not named Troy.

Prediction: Wellsboro is an up-and-coming team, but Athens is there right now. ... ATHENS 38, WELLSBORO 14.
The Mick: Athens 54, Wellsboro 14 ... Country Bob: Athens 54, Wellsboro 6 ...  Little Red: Athens 42, Wellsboro 6.

Newark Valley (2-1) at Tioga (2-1): The Tigers, now ranked No. 1 in the state in Class D, is coming off a 34-14 win over the previous No. 1 Delhi, while the Cardinals rallied for a 35-34 win over B-G.

Tioga's run game hit its stride last week with more than 400 yards on the ground, led by senior Logan Bellis' 300-yard, three-TD performance, while the Cardinals have shown they can run the ball and be dangerous through the air.

Prediction: After some struggles in the first two games of the season, Tioga seemed to find its identity in Week 3 with an explosive running game, and a much-improved defense. ... TIOGA 33, NEWARK VALLEY 12.
The Mick: Tioga 44, NV 7 ... Country Bob: Tioga 35, NV 13 ... Little Red: Tioga 27, NV 10.

Waverly (3-0) at Johnson City (1-1): The Wolverines are coming off a 30-18 win over Norwich, while the Wildcats rolled over Binghamton 44-6 after losing 14-10 at Oneonta the previous week.

Waverly's offense has been solid this season, scoring 26 points per came, but its defense has been very good, allowing 14.7 points per game.

Prediction: Johnson City has some dangerous athletes, but Waverly has a big edge in the trenches. ... WAVERLY 34, JC 6.
The Mick: Waverly 36, JC 7 ... Country Bob: Waverly 35, JC 6 ... Little Red: Waverly 42, JC 6.

Sayre (0-5) at Northwest Area (1-4): The Redskins are coming off a 42-0 loss at Muncy, while the Rangers notched their first win of the season — a 34-12 victory at New Hope-Solebury.

Sayre has not scored since Week 1, and Northwest was shutout in consecutive games before last weekend's win.

Prediction: The only game Sayre won last year was against Northwest Area at the Lockhart Street Bowl. It's definitely their best chance for a win this season. ... NORTHWEST 19, SAYRE 8.
 The Mick: Northwest 7, Sayre 6 ... Country Bob: Northwest 28, Sayre 6 ... Little Red: Northwest 28, Sayre 0.

Owego (2-1) at Maine-Endwell (0-2): The River Hawks are coming off an impressive 30-13 win over Vestal, while the Spartans dropped a 14-12 decision to a banged-up Horseheads squad.

Prediction: Owego is big and physical up front, and has been able to run the ball, while the M-E defense has been susceptible to the run. It's been a long time since the Spartans started a season 0-3 and they are at home. ... M-E 20, OWEGO 19. 
The Mick: Owego 14, M-E 8 ... Country Bob: M-E 13, Owego 7. Little Red: Owego 20, M-E 7.

SVEC (2-1) at Greene-Oxford (1-2): The Eagles are coming off a 36-32 loss to Deposit-Hancock, while the Trojans dropped a 37-8 decision to Oneonta.

Prediction: SVEC has been explosive on offense, while G-O has struggled a bit in its return to 11-man football. ... SVEC 48, G-O 12.
The Mick: SVEC 24, G-O 7 ... Country Bob: SVEC 27, G-O 12 ... Little Red: SVEC 28, G-O 7.

Wyalusing (1-4) at Troy (4-1): The Trojans are coming off a 44-0 win over Towanda, while the Rams dropped a 55-0 decision to South Williamsport.

Prediction: This is a total mismatch on paper, and it will be on the field, too. ... TROY 56, WYALUSING 0.
The Mick: Troy 56, Wyalusing 0 ... Country Bob: Troy 52, Wyalusing 0 ...  Little Red: Troy 56, Wyalusing 0.

Towanda (0-5) at Canton (1-4): The Black Knights are coming off a 44-0 loss to Troy, while the Warriors dropped a 56-0 decision at Montgomery.

Prediction: Both teams are banged up, but Canton has been depleted. ... TOWANDA 20, CANTON 7.
The Mick: Towanda 14, Canton 13 ... Country Bob: Canton 20, Towanda 19 ... Little Red: Canton 27, Towanda 17.

Montgomery (4-1) at Muncy (4-1): The Red Raiders are coming off a 56-0 win over Canton, while the Indians blanked Sayre, 42-0.

Prediction: This is a tough one. Montgomery is on a nice run, but Muncy is an established program, which has played a tougher schedule. ... MUNCY 24, MONTGOMERY 19.
The Mick: Muncy 24, Montgomery 16 ... Country Bob: Muncy 21, Montgomery 20 ... Little Red: Muncy 27, Montgomery 8.

North Penn (4-1) at Warrior Run (4-1): The Panthers are coming off a 54-13 loss to Athens, while the Defenders topped Lewisburg, 29-24.

Prediction: North Penn beat the teams it should beat to start the season, but to beat Warrior Run it will have to play its best game of the season. ... WARRIOR RUN 41, NORTH PENN 6.
The Mick: Warrior Run 42, NP 12 ... Country Bob: Warrior Run 34, NP 7 ... Little Red: Warrior Run 35, NP 0.

Cowanesque Valley (2-3) at South Williamsport (2-3): The Indians are coming off a 37-15 loss to Wellsboro, while the Mounties rolled to a 55-0 win over Wyalusing.

Prediction: South Williamsport has played a tough schedule and seems to be putting it together, while CV's win come against a pair of 0-5 teams. ... SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT 55, CV 8.
The Mick: South 21, CV 8 ... Country Bob: South 44, CV 6 ... Little Red: South 34, CV 13.

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