It's Week 10 of the high school football season, and that means it's rivalry weekend in Pennsylvania, including the annual "Rusty Rail" game at Athens.While Athens and Sayre square off at Alumni Stadium, Waverly and Tioga will both be taking on divisional opponents in games that have postseason implications.
Week 9 was a very good one for our pigskin prognosticators with The Mick and Little Red going 12-1, Country Bob and I both at 11-2.
On the season, The Mick leads the pack at 80-15, while I am 77-18, Little Red is 76-19, and Country Bob is 72-23.
So what do the pigskin pickers see in Week 10? Let’s take a look:
Sayre (1-8) at Athens (4-5): The Redskins are coming off a 55-13 loss at Canton, while the Wildcats dropped a 63-26 decision at Muncy.
Athens will be tuning up for a playoff match-up at Shamokin, while Sayre will be playing for pride.
Prediction: Sayre has been susceptible to the big play, and sophomore QB Connor Davidson has provided a bunch of them for the Wildcats this season. I expect a few more tonight. ... ATHENS 48, SAYRE 12.
The Mick: Athens 48, Sayre 6. ... Country Bob: Athens 47, Sayre 20. ... Little Red: Athens 49, Sayre 13.
Waverly (6-1) at Lansing: The Wolverines, ranked No. 1 in Class C in New York State, are coming off a 50-6 win over Tioga, while the Bobcats blanked Whitney Point, 21-0.
Waverly is clicking on all cylinders, scoring 45 points per game, while allowing just 10. Lansing, which played an independent schedule last year, has been one of the surprise teams in Section IV this year.
Prediction: The Wolverines just have too much talent and athleticism, and have played a much tougher schedule. ... WAVERLY 49, LANSING 14.
The Mick: Waverly 49, Lansing 0. ... Country Bob: Waverly 55, Lansing 0. ... Little Red: Waverly 52, Lansing 7.
Deposit-Hancock (7-0) at Tioga (4-3): The Tigers are coming off a 50-6 loss to state-ranked Waverly, while Deposit-Hancock rolled to a 49-12 win over state-ranked Bainbridge-Guilford.
Tioga is racked with injuries, and Deposit-Hancock is playing very well.
Prediction: It's a bit ironic the program that forfeited to Tioga in consecutive seasons in 2021 and 2022, could be the one to end the Tigers' run of division titles. ... D-H 32, TIOGA 16.
The Mick: D-H 27, Tioga 13. ... Country Bob: D-H 34, Tioga 12. ... Little Red: D-H 28, Tioga 14.
Wyalusing (4-5) at Towanda (7-2): The Black Knights are coming off a 28-3 win at Tunkhannock, while the Rams dropped a 24-7 decision at home to Hughesville.
This is a match-up of teams headed in opposite directions. Towanda has won four in a row, while Wyalusing has lost five of six. A win would lock up the 2-seed in the upcoming Class AA playoffs for the Black Knights, while the Rams need a win to have a chance to qualify.
Prediction: Senior QB Riley Vanderpool has the Towanda offense running in high gear. I expect more of the same tonight. ... TOWANDA 34, WYALUSING 13.
The Mick: Towanda 36, Wyalusing 16. ... Country Bob: Towanda 27, Wyalusing 13. ... Little Red: Towanda 35, Wyalusing 13.
Canton (5-4) at Troy (9-0): The Trojans are coming off a 62-10 win over Central Mountain, while the Warriors topped Sayre, 54-13.
Prediction: Canton is healthy again, but Troy is ... really good. ... TROY 55, CANTON 13.
The Mick: Troy 59, Canton 12. ... Country Bob: Troy 50, Canton 0. ... Little Red: Troy 56, Canton 7.
North Penn-Mansfield (2-7) at Wellsboro (2-7): The Tigers dropped a 23-15 decision to Cowanesque Valley, while the Hornets blanked Northwest Area, 46-0.
Prediction: It's a rivalry game, with both teams playing for pride — anything could happen. ... WELLSBORO 27, NP-M 20.
The Mick: Wellsboro 42, NP-M 28. ... Country Bob: NP-M 21, Wellsboro 13. ... Little Red: Wellsboro 35, NP-M 7.
Muncy (8-1) at Hughesville (5-4): The Indians are coming off a 63-26 win over Sayre, while the Spartans topped Wyalusing, 24-7.
Muncy has not scored less than 41 points since a season-opening loss to Warrior Run. Hughesville knocked off Warrior Run two weeks ago, but only beat Montgomery, 14-7, while the Indians rolled them, 41-7.
Prediction: Muncy is a team on a mission. ... MUNCY 34, HUGHESVILLE 22.
The Mick: Hughesville 28, Muncy 27. ... Country Bob: Muncy 27, Hughesville 20. ... Little Red: Muncy 42, Hughesville 7.
South Williamsport (4-5) at Northwest Area (1-8): The Mounties are coming off a 42-14 loss to Montgomery, while the Rangers dropped a 46-0 decision to Wellsboro.
Prediction: South needs a win to have a chance to avoid Troy in the opening round of the Class AA playoffs. ... SOUTH 36, NORTHWEST 7.
The Mick: South 58, Northwest 7. ... Country Bob: South 46, Northwest 6. ...
Little Red: South 36, Northwest 7.
Montgomery (6-3) at Cowanesque Valley (4-5): The Red Raiders are moving off a 42-14 win over South Williamsport, while the Indians topped North Penn-Mansfield, 23-15.
CV has won three in a row, and is one of the biggest surprises in District 4 this season, but Montgomery may be a bigger surprise.
Prediction: Montgomery has been much more consistent, and plays a power style of football. ... MONTGOMERY 44, CV 13.
The Mick: Montgomery 38, CV 21. ... Country Bob: Montgomery 47, CV 6. ... Little Red: Montgomery 28, CV 7.
SVEC (3-4, 2-1) at Walton (3-4, 1-1): The Eagles are coming off a 54-6 win over Oxford, while the Warriors dropped a 40-24 decision to arch-rival Delhi.
SVEC will lock up a postseason berth with a win, while Walton won't clinch, but will be in the driver's seat.
Prediction: The Eagles appear to be healthy, and have big-play potential, while the Warriors are going to line up and pound the ball at you. ... WALTON 26, SVEC 22.
The Mick: SVEC 24, Walton 21. ... Country Bob: SVEC 27, Walton 6. ... Little Red: SVEC 27, Walton 21.
Bainbridge-Guilford (5-2, 0-1) at Newark Valley (1-6, 0-1): The Cardinals are coming off a heart-breaking 18-16 loss at Ithaca, while the Bears dropped a 49-12 decision to Deposit-Hancock.
Prediction: Newark Valley has suffered through a great deal of adversity this season, while B-G has enjoyed a renaissance. ... B-G 34, NEWARK VALLEY 14.
The Mick: B-G 16, NV 7. ... Country Bob: B-G 35, NV 7. ... Little Red: B-G 34, NV 14.
Horseheads (5-2, 1-0) at Binghamton (1-5, 0-1): The Blue Raiders are coming off a 35-20 win over Vestal, while the Patriots dropped a 35-6 decision to Union-Endicott.
Prediction: Horseheads can clinch a share of the division title with a win tonight. ... HORSEHEADS 48, BINGHAMTON 8.
The Mick: Horseheads 64, Binghamton 0. ... Country Bob: Horseheads 34, Binghamton 6. ... Little Red: Horseheads 35, Binghamton 7.
