FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 3 PICKS — THREE OF FOUR VALLEY TEAMS FACE TOUGH CHALLENGES (September 11, 2026)

Week 3 of the high school football season has three of the four Valley teams pitted against very tough opponents, while Athens is a big favorite in its home game against Cowanesque Valley.

The schedule doesn't appear to have many competitive games, although I'll admit it's much too early in the season to say that with much conviction.

The game I'll circle as the "Game of the Week" is down south a bit with Montgomery hosting South Williamsport.

Last one was actually a pretty solid one for the VSR Prognosticators if you consider all five lost with Tioga, and four of five lost with Athens.

Little Red was tops in Week 2 with a 9-2 record, while The Mick, Madden & Summerall, and I were all 8-3, and Country Bob was 7-4.

On the season, The Mick, Little Red, and I are all 16-4, Country Bob is 14-6, and Madden & Summerall are 13-7.

Without further ado, let's see what VSR's Pigskin Prognosticators foresee in Week 2:

Cowanesque Valley (0-2) at Athens (1-1): The Wildcats dropped a 31-21 decision to Troy in Week 2, while the Indians lost to Wellsboro, 26-13.

Prediction: The Wildcats battled back after a terrible start at Troy, but couldn't capitalize on a late opportunity. ... Look for the Wildcats to impose their will on CV tonight. ... ATHENS 48, CV 6.
The Mick: Athens 28, CV 16; Country Bob: Athens 45, CV 6; Little Red: Athens 31, CV 7; Madden & Summerall: Athens 35, CV 12.

Muncy (1-1)  at Sayre (0-2): The Redskins are coming off a 55-0 loss at South Williamsport, while the Indians blanked Wyalusing, 45-0.

Prediction: The Redskins have given up 55 points in both of their games, and their only points came on an errant Towanda snap out of the back of the end zone for a safety. ... It looks like more of the same tonight at the Lockhart Street Bowl. ... MUNCY 55, SAYRE 0.
The Mick: Muncy 48, Sayre 0; Country Bob: Muncy 52, Sayre 0; Little Red: Muncy 56, Sayre 0; Madden & Summerall: Muncy 45, Sayre 0.

Waverly (1-0) at Maine-Endwell (1-0): The Wolverines are coming off a 36-23 win, while the Spartans travelled to the Rochester suburbs to beat the socks off Webster-Thomas, 47-33.

Prediction: The Wolverines looked good on both sides of the ball against a good Port Jervis team, but M-E may be on another level this year. ... M-E 27, WAVERLY 13.
The Mick: M-E 34, Waverly 14; Country Bob: M-E 21, Waverly 17; Little Red: M-E 28, Waverly 14; Madden & Summerall: M-E 34, Waverly 28.

Tioga (0-1) at Chenango Forks (1-0): The Tigers are coming off a 41-26 loss to Delhi, while the Blue Devils rolled to a 40-7 win over Owego Free Academy.

Prediction: Delhi played very well, but Tioga lost in large part due to self-inflicted wounds. That said, the Tigers' apparent lack of team speed is a big concern moving forward. ... FORKS 34, TIOGA 12. 
The Mick: Forks 28, Tioga 7; Country Bob: Forks 48, Tioga 21; Little Red: Forks 42, Tioga 7; Madden & Summerall: Forks 30, Tioga 20.

Towanda (2-0) at Troy (1-1): The Black Knights are coming off a 46-14 win over North Penn-Mansfield, while the Trojans are coming off a 31-21 win over Athens.

Prediction: The Black Knights are averaging 50.5 points in their two wins, but they did it against two teams (Sayre, NP-M) that may combined to win one or two games this season, while Troy has taken on a pair of playoff teams. ... TROY 38, TOWANDA 7.
The Mick: Troy 35, Towanda 12; Country Bob: Troy 35, Towanda 21; Little Red: Troy 42, Towanda 0; Madden & Summerall: Troy 34, Towanda 20.

Wellsboro (1-1) at Loyalsock (1-1): The Hornets are coming off a 26-13 win over Cowanesque Valley, while the Lancers dropped a 28-21 decision to Bloomsburg.

Prediction: Loyalsock hasn't played as well as I expected, but I think they have more than enough this week. ... LOYALSOCK 30, WELLSBORO 14.
The Mick: Loyalsock 28, Wellsboro 7; Country Bob: Loyalsock 42, Wellsboro 13; Little Red: Loyalsock 28, Wellsboro 7; Madden & Summerall: Loyalsock 34, Wellsboro 15.

North Penn-Mansfield (0-2) at Northwest Area (2-0): The Tigers are coming off a 46-14 loss to Towanda, while the Rangers topped Central Columbia, 23-10.

Prediction: NP-M has struggled against on both sides of the ball, while Northwest Area is off to a great start, and I think it continues. ... NORTHWEST 26, NP-M 6. 
The Mick: Northwest 36, NP-M 7; Country Bob: Northwest 17, NP-M 6; Little Red: Northwest 28, NP-M 0; Madden & Summerall: Northwest 30, NP-M 6.

Wyalusing (0-2) at Canton (1-1): The Rams are coming off a 45-0 loss to Muncy, while the Warriors dropped a 48-14 decision to Montgomery.

Prediction: Wyalusing has been outscored 89-0 in its first two games. I think Canton has enough to notch another W. ... CANTON 26, WYALUSING 6.
The Mick: Canton 18, Wyalusing 6; Country Bob: Canton 36, Wyalusing 0; Little Red: Canton 20, Wyalusing 6; Madden & Summerall: Canton 28, Wyalusing 8.

South Williamsport (2-0) at Montgomery (2-0): The Mounties are coming off a 55-0 win over Sayre, while the Red Raiders topped Canton, 48-14.

Prediction: Like Towanda, South's two wins have come against Sayre and NP-M. I'm not completely sold on Montgomery, but I'm not sure if South is as good as I think they might be either. ... SOUTH 21, MONTGOMERY 20.
The Mick: Montgomery 14, South 13; Country Bob: South 21, Montgomery 13; Little Red: South 35, Montgomery 14; Madden & Summerall: Montgomery 21, South 20.

Whitney Point at Newark Valley: The Eagles dropped a 28-6 decision to Section III's Holland-Patent, while the Cardinals lost 14-13 to BGAH.

Prediction: There's still a lot of fight in the dog when it comes to Newark Valley football. ... NEWARK VALLEY 20, WHITNEY POINT 0.
The Mick: NV 26, WP 13; Country Bob: NV 14, WP 13; Little Red: NV 21, WP 13; Madden & Summerall: NV 22, WP 16.

SVEC (0-1) at Delhi (1-0): The Eagles are coming off a 21-0 loss to Ithaca, while the Bulldogs stunned Tioga, 41-26.

Prediction: Delhi established themselves as the team to beat in Class D with its win at Haggerty Field last week. ... DELHI 47, SVEC 6.
The Mick: Delhi 44, SVEC 0; Country Bob: Delhi 45, SVEC 6; Little Red: Delhi 40, SVEC 7; Madden & Summerall: Delhi 48, SVEC 6.

Johnson City (1-0) at Owego (0-1): The Wildcats are coming off a 40-7 win over Syracuse Henninger, while the River Hawks dropped a 40-7 decision to Chenango Forks.

Prediction: Johnson City has really struggled in recent years, and its drop to Class C has renewed hopes for a program revival, while Owego suffered huge loss to graduation again. ... OWEGO 13, JOHNSON CITY 12.
The Mick: JC 36, Owego 15; Country Bob: Owego 21, JC 14; Little Red: JC 28, Owego 0; Madden & Summerall: Owego 28, JC 6.

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