Week 5 of "Football Friday" is upon us, and there are some big games on the slate, including a battle of the top two teams in Class D in New York State, with Tioga on the road at Delhi.Athens will travel to take on unbeaten North Penn, while Waverly hosts Norwich. On Saturday, Sayre is at Muncy.
As for our merry band of Pigskin Prognosticators, Little Red and I went 9-2 last week, while Country Bob and The Mick were 8-3.
On the season, The Mick and I are 27-10, while Country Bob and Little Red are 26-11.
Without further ado, the VSR Pigskin Pickers make their picks for Week 5 (Week 4 in Pa. and Week 2 in N.Y.):
Norwich (1-1) at Waverly (2-0): The Wolverines are coming off a 34-13 win at Windsor, while the Purple Tornadoes topped Coxsackie-Athens, 53-14.
Waverly is a veteran bunch and has been tested in their first two games. It has also shown the ability to move the ball on the ground and through the air.
Norwich is young, but it's a group that didn't lose a game in youth football or junior high. This team is probably a year away from being good, and two years away from challenging for a Section IV title.
Prediction: Waverly has too much up front, and too many weapons for Norwich. ... WAVERLY 45, NORIWCH 13.
The Mick: Waverly 35, Norwich 7 ... Country Bob: Waverly 35, Norwich 7 ... Little Red: Waverly 38, Norwich 7.
Athens (3-1) at North Penn-Mansfield (4-0): The Wildcats are coming off a 51-35 home loss to Troy, while the Panthers topped Canton, 24-14.
North Penn's has run up its 4-0 record against teams with a combined 2-14 record. Athens' first three opponents are a combined 2-10, but the Wildcats acquitted themselves quite well against Troy, leading early in the fourth quarter.
Prediction: Junior QB Connor Davidson is a threat to score every time he touches the ball, and he has a lot of weapons around him. ... ATHENS 48, NP-M 20.
The Mick: Athens 48, NP-M 16 ... Country Bob: Athens 42, NP-M 7 ... Little Red: Athens 31, NP-M 14.
Tioga (1-1) at Delhi (2-0): The Tigers are coming off a 35-31 win at Deposit-Hancock, while the Bulldogs edged Trumansburg, 30-26.
I'm not quite sure about either one of these teams. They could be the best two teams in Class D in the state, or they could be also-rans inSectionIV by the end of the season.
One thing I do know is both teams are very well-coached, so I expect they could see each other again in the postseason.
Prediction: I think Tioga's defense is a work in project, so they'll probably have to win a high-scoring game. ... DELHI 36, TIOGA 34.
The Mick: Delhi 28, Tioga 15 ... Country Bob: Delhi 35, Tioga 13 ... Little Red: Delhi 28, Tioga 25.
Sayre (0-4) at Muncy (3-1): The Redskins are coming off a 42-0 loss at Cowanesque Valley, while the Indians blanked Northwest Area, 35-0.
Prediction: Sayre has struggled on both sides of the ball, while Muncy continues to roll along. ... MUNCY 55, SAYRE 0.
The Mick: Muncy 54, Sayre 0 ... Country Bob: Muncy 52, Sayre 6 ... Little Red: Muncy 56, Sayre 0.
Deposit-Hancock (1-1) at SVEC (2-0): The Eagles are coming off a 50-18 win at Schuyler, while the Lumberjacks dropped a 35-31 decision at home to Tioga.
Prediction: This game will go a long way in showing us if SVEC is a legitimate Class D contender. I think they are. ... SVEC 34, D-H 27.
The Mick: SVEC 36, D-H 21 ... Country Bob: SVEC 21, D-H 13 ... Little Red: SVEC 42, D-H 19.
Troy (3-1) at Towanda (0-4): The Trojans are coming off a 51-35 win at Athens, while the Black Knights dropped a 33-12 decision to Wellsboro.
Prediction: Troy is getting healthy, and Towanda is banged up — not a good combination for Black Knight fans. ... TROY 58, TOWANDA 6.
The Mick: Troy 60, Towanda 7 ... Country Bob: Troy 60, Towanda 0 ... Little Red: Troy 52, Towanda 0.
Owego (1-1) at Vestal (2-0): The River Hawks are coming off a 34-8 home win over Susquehanna Valley, while the Golden Bears topped Utica Proctor, 42-22.
Prediction: Owego is better than I thought it would be, but all indications are Vestal is pretty good. ... VESTAL 23, OWEGO 13.
The Mick: Owego 12, Vestal 8 ... Country Bob: Owego 13, Vestal 6 ... Little Red: Vestal 42, Owego 7.
Newark Valley (1-1) at Bainbridge-Guilford (1-1): The Cardinals are coming off a 22-14 loss to Sidney, while the Bobcats edged Whitney Point, 16-15.
Prediction: I had B-G pegged as a dark horse in Class D, but they haven't been very impressive in the early-going. Newark Valley is young and still searching for its identity. ... B-G 22, NV 13.
The Mick: B-G 16, NV 14 ... Country Bob: NV 19, B-G 18 ... Little Red: Newark Valley 28, B-G 13.
Canton (1-3) at Montgomery (3-1): The Warriors are coming off a 24-14 home loss to North Penn-Mansfield, while the Red Raiders won at Wyalusing, 28-6.
Prediction: Montgomery is solid on both sides of the ball, while Canton has struggled to score. ... MONTGOMERY 20, CANTON 12.
The Mick: Montgomery 36, Canton 12 ... Country Bob: Montgomery 35, Canton 6 ... Little Red: Montgomery 27, Canton 13.
Wyalusing (1-3) at South Williamsport (1-3): The Rams are coming off a 28-6 home loss to Montgomery, while the Mounties dropped a 25-0 decision at Milton.
Prediction: South has played a pretty tough schedule, including losses to Athens and Troy. ... SOUTH 23, WYALUSING 16.
The Mick: South 28, Wyalusing 24 ... Country Bob: South 28, Wyalusing 13 ... Little Red: South 20, Wyalusing 7.
Wellsboro (2-2) at Cowanesque Valley (2-2): The Hornets are coming off a 33-12 win over Towanda, while the Indians blanked Sayre, 42-0.
Prediction: CV's two wins come against teams with a combined record of 0-8. While Wellsboro's wins are against teams with a 1-7 combined record, the Hornets played Muncy very tough. ... WELLSBORO 41, CV 13.
The Mick: Wellsboro 21, CV 13 ... Country Bob: Wellsboro 21, CV 6 ... Little Red: Wellsboro 41, CV 13.
