FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 5 PICKS — COULD VALLEY TEAMS GO UNBEATEN? (September 24, 2026)

Week 5 of the high school season is upon us, and "Football Friday" will be pre-empted by "Thursday Night Football" as Athens hosts Towanda under the lights at Alumni Stadium.

Due to a shortage of officials on both sides of the border, we'll see a few more games moved to Thursday and Saturday, with Sayre traveling to Wyalusing for a Saturday afternoon game, Waverly at Norwich next Thursday.

"Football Friday" this week has Waverly wrapping up its brutal non-league stretch to start the season by hosting Horseheads, while Tioga looks to improve to 2-0 in in its division when it hosts Trumansburg.

Last week was a pretty rough week for the VSR Pigskin Prognosticators, especially for yours truly, who posted a career-worst 5-5 mark.

Country Bob had the best week at 8-2, while Madden & Summerall was 7-3, and Little Red and The Mick were 6-4.

On the season, The Mick still leads the way at 34-8, with Little Red on his heels at 33-9, Country Bob at 32-10, and Madden & Summerall and I bringing up the rear at 31-11.

Without further ado, let's see what VSR's Pigskin Prognosticators foresee in Week 5:

Towanda (2-2) at Athens (3-1), Thursday: The Wildcats are coming off a hard-fought, 17-7, win over South Williamsport, while the Black Knights dropped a 32-9 decision, 32-9.

Prediction: Athens is playing well on both sides of the ball, while Towanda is a bit banged up. ... ATHENS 34, TOWANDA 7.
Little Red: Athens 28, Towanda 14; Country Bob: Athens 35, Towanda 6; The Mick: Athens 36, Towanda 7; Madden & Summerall: Athens 35, Towanda 12.

Sayre (1-3) at Wyalusing (0-4), Saturday: The Redskins are coming off a 23-21 win at North Penn, while the Rams dropped a 29-0 decision to Cowanesque Valley.

Prediction: Sayre's run game click in its first win since 2024. Wyalusing has yet to score a point in 2026. ... SAYRE 34, WYALUSING 12.
Little Red: Sayre 21, Wyalusing 7; Country Bob: Sayre 35, Wyalusing 6; The Mick: Sayre 28, Wyalusing 12; Madden & Summerall: Sayre 16, Wyalusing 6.

Horseheads (3-0) at Waverly (1-2): The Wolverines are coming off a 35-34 loss to Horseheads, while the Blue Raiders topped U-E, 21-15.

Prediction: Waverly's offense, averaging 27.7 points per game, hasn't been the problem this season, and it's banged up defense will definitely be tested by Horseheads running back Bryce Thomas and QB Lyncoln Bennett. ... HORSEHEADS 35, WAVERLY 24.
Little Red: Horseheads 28, Waverly 7; Country Bob: Horseheads 35, Waverly 21; The Mick: Horseheads 45, Waverly 20; Madden & Summerall: Horseheads 28, Waverly 24.

Trumansburg (1-2) at Tioga (1-2): The Tigers put up their first W for first-year coach Jake Howland last week, a 35-8 win over Sidney, while the Blue Raiders also earned their first win, beating BGAH, 42-22.

Prediction: Aside from its loss to Forks, Tioga's offense, while not explosive, has been very good against its two Class D opponents. Look for Caden Bradley to be a bigger part of the offense this week. ... TIOGA 34, T-BURG 14.
Little Red: Tioga 28, T-Burg 0; Country Bob: Tioga 40, T-Burg 12; The Mick: Tioga 14, T-Burg 12; Madden & Summerall: Tioga 21, T-Burg 17.

Cowanesque Valley (1-3) at North Penn (0-4): The Indians got in the win column for the first time last week with a 29-0 whitewashing of Wyalusing, while the Tigers dropped a 23-21 decision to Sayre.

Prediction: CV has been more competitive this season in its losses overall than North Penn, and the Indians have a couple dangerous athletes. ... CV 27, NP-M 21.
Little Red: CV 34, NP-M 7; Country Bob: CV 28, NP-M 12; The Mick: CV 40, NP-M 12; Madden & Summerall: CV 16, NP-M 12.

Canton (3-1) at South Williamsport (2-2): The Warriors are coming off a 14-6 win over Wellsboro, while the Mounties dropped a 17-7 decision to Athens.

Prediction: South Williamsport is solid up front and has a tough defense. Canton has played well, but its three wins are against teams with a combined 2-10 record. ... SOUTH 27, CANTON 6.
Little Red: South 28, Canton 6; Country Bob: South 18, Canton 6; The Mick: South 16, Canton 14; Madden & Summerall: Canton 26, South 21.

Troy (3-1) at Wellsboro: The Trojans are coming off a hard-fought, 14-7, win over Montgomery, while the Hornets dropped a 14-6 decision to Canton.

Prediction: Troy's offense is no where near as explosive as it has been, but the Trojan defense has been very stingy. Wellsboro has struggled offensively in its three losses. ... TROY 34, WELLSBORO 6.
Little Red: Troy 35, Wellsboro 0; Country Bob: Troy 35, Wellsboro 6; The Mick: Troy 45, Wellsboro 13; Madden & Summerall: Troy 26, Wellsboro 0.

Muncy (3-1) at Montgomery (3-1): The Indians are coming off a 32-9 win over Towanda, while the Red Raiders dropped a 14-7 decision at Troy.

Prediction: Montgomery's performance at Troy last Friday is a statement to the rest of Class A in District 4. Muncy is still solid, but the Red Raiders may be the class of Class A. ... MONTGOMERY 27, MUNCY 13.
Little Red: Montgomery 34, Muncy 8; Country Bob: Montgomery 21, Muncy 7; The Mick: Montgomery 21, Muncy 14; Madden & Summerall: Montgomery 28, Muncy 21.

Owego (1-2) at Vestal (1-2): The River Hawks are coming off a 35-34 win over Waverly, while the Golden Bears dropped a 21-7 decision to powerhouse Maine-Endwell.

Prediction: Owego threw just one pass in its win over Waverly. In order to beat Vestal, I would wager the offense will have to be more balanced. ... Prediction: VESTAL 21, OWEGO 17.
Little Red: Vestal 28, Owego 7; Country Bob: Vestal 21, Owego 20; The Mick: Vestal 35, Owego 14; Madden & Summerall: Owego 21, Vestal 12.

Groton (3-0) at Newark Valley (2-1): The Cardinals are coming off a 28-0 win over Walton, while the Red Hawks rolled over Whitney Point.

Prediction: Groton has run roughshod in its 3-0 start, averaging 64.7 points per game, but its opponents are a combined a 1-9 start. Newark Valley will present the biggest challenge of the year, but the Red Hawks have a lot of talent at the skill position. ... GROTON 27, NEWARK VALLEY 21.
Little Red: Groton 42, NV 7; Country Bob: Groton 27, NV 6; The Mick: Groton 54, NV 7; Madden & Summerall: Groton 48, NV 20.

Schuyler (1-1) at SVEC (0-3): The Lake Hawks are coming off a bye following a 56-12 win over BGAH in Week 2, while the Eagles dropped a 20-13 decision to Greene-Oxford.

Prediction: Schuyler's Wing-T offense is a pain to defend, and SVEC has struggled on both sides of the ball. ... SCHUYLER 45, SVEC 6.
Little Red: Schuyler 28, SVEC 7; Country Bob: Schuyler 27, SVEC 6; The Mick: Schuyler 44, SVEC 0; Madden & Summerall: SVEC 30, Schuyler 20.

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