Another football weekend is upon us, and Waverly's trip to U-E for a battle of state-ranked teams is the obvious choice for "Game of the Week."Meanwhile, Athens is on the road at Towanda, Tioga hosts Bainbridge-Guilford, and Sayre hosts South Williamsport in divisional contests.
The VSR Pigskin Prognosticators are coming off a pretty good week. I posted a 10-1 record, while the Mick and Country Bob were 9-2, and Little Red was 8-3.
On the season, The Mick, Country Bob and I are 44-15 and Little Red is 42-17.
Without further ado, the VSR Pigskin Pickers make their picks for Week 7 (Week 6 in Pa. and Week 4 in N.Y.):
Bainbridge-Guilford (1-3)) at Tioga (3-1): The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in the state in Class D, are coming off a 31-0 win over arch-rival Newark Valley, while the Bobcats dropped a 59-38 decision to Deposit-Hancock.
Tioga's offense is starting to find its identity with senior tailback Logan Bellis and junior QB Jackson Bombard leading the way.
B-G has given up at least 35 points in its three losses, but has been able to score points.
Prediction: Tioga's offense should click in this match-up. ... TIOGA 46, B-G 12.
The Mick: Tioga 44, B-G 13 ... Country Bob: Tioga 47, B-G 0 ... Little Red: Tioga, 28, B-G 7.
Athens (5-1) at Towanda (1-5): The Wildcats are coming off a 35-22 win at Wellsboro, while the Black Knights topped Canton, 41-14, for their first win of the season.
Connor Davidson played tailback for the first half last week due to an injury before moving back to QB in the second half, and was a major factor at both positions.
Towanda is on its third QB of the season, freshman Gabe Wolf, and has been forced to shift players all over the field due to injuries.
Prediction: Athens is a bit banged up as well, but should have more than enough tonight. ... ATHENS 38, TOWANDA 7.
The Mick: Athens 45, Towanda 0. ... Country Bob: Athens 55, Towanda 0. ... Little Red: Athens 42, Towanda 14.
Waverly (4-0) at Union-Endicott (3-0): The Wolverines, ranked 4th in the state in Class B, are coming off a 49-7 win over Johnson City, while the Tigers, ranked 16th in Class A, topped Elmira, 26-7.
Waverly has been effective moving the ball on the ground with senior Cooper Robinson leading the way, and through the air behind junior QB Ben Shaw.
The story of the season, however, has been the Wolverine defense, which is allowing 12.5 points per game.
Prediction: I'll say it again, games are won in the trenches and Waverly is as good as anyone in Section IV up front. ... WAVERLY 24, U-E 13.
The Mick: Waverly 36, U-E 8. ... Country Bob: Waverly 35, U-E 6 ... Little Red: Waverly 42, U-E 13.
South Williamsport (3-3) at Sayre (0-6): The Redskins are coming off a 62-6 loss at Northwest Area, while the Mounties rolled to a 54-6 win over Cowanesque Valley.
Prediction: Sayre's numbers are critically low, and South Williamsport is putting things together. ... SOUTH 55, SAYRE 0.
The Mick: South 36, Sayre 0. ... Country Bob: South 62, Sayre 0 ... Little Red: South 36, Sayre 6.
Owego (2-2) at Norwich (2-2): The River Hawks are coming off a heart-breaking, 8-6, loss at Maine-Endwell, while the Purple Tornadoes topped 40-14.
Prediction: Owego dominated M-E in the trenches, especially on the defensive side. Norwich is a talented bunch, but not very big up front. ... OWEGO 24, NORWICH 10.
The Mick: Owego 20, Norwich 16. ... Country Bob: Owego 17, Norwich 7 ... Little Red: Norwich 21, Owego 13.
Delhi (3-1) at SVEC (3-1): The Eagles are coming off a 42-12 win over Greene-Oxford, while the Bulldogs knocked off arch-rival Walton, 27-16.
Prediction: SVEC came up short, 36-32, in its only real test of the season against Deposit-Hancock, while Delhi has wins over Trumansburg and Walton, but was thumped by Tioga, which racked up several big plays. The Eagles have the same type of big-play potential. ... SVEC 30, DELHI 20.
The Mick: SVEC 24, Delhi 16. Country Bob: Delhi 28, SVEC 13 ... Little Red: Delhi 28, SVEC 7.
Deposit-Hancock (3-1) at Newark Valley (2-2): The Cardinals are coming off a 31-0 loss at Tioga, while the Lumberjacks rolled to a 59-38 win over B-G.
Prediction: D-H is scoring 41 points per game and has shown a physical running game that's been tough to stop. ... D-H 34, NV 13.
The Mick: D-H 54, NV 7. ... Country Bob: D-H 28, NV 7 ... Little Red: D-H 21, NV 12.
Wellsboro (3-3) at Troy (5-1): The Hornets are coming off a 35-22 loss to Athens, while the Trojans cruised to a 49-14 win over Wyalusing.
Prediction: Wellsboro is a program on the rise, but Troy is a different breed. ... TROY 55, WELLSBORO 14.
The Mick: Troy 55, Wellsboro 7. ... Country Bob: Troy 42, Wellsboro 6 ... Little Red: Troy 56, Wellsboro 0.
Canton (1-5) at Wyalusing (1-5): The Warriors are coming off a 41-14 loss at Towanda, while the Rams dropped a 49-14 decision to Troy.
Prediction: Canton is seriously banged up. ... WYALUSING 33, CANTON 8.
The Mick: Wyalusing 36, Canton 21 ... Country Bob: Wyalusing 42, Canton 6 ... Little Red: Wyalusing 28, Canton 6.
Muncy (4-2) at North Penn (4-2): The Indians are coming off a 27-7 loss to Montgomery, while the Panthers dropped a 55-6 decision to Warrior Run.
Prediction: Muncy has played a tougher schedule, and played better teams tougher. ... MUNCY 27, NORTH PENN 19.
The Mick: Muncy 28, North Penn 13 ... Country Bob: Muncy 21, North Penn 6 ... Little Red: Muncy 42, North Penn 21.
Northwest Area (2-4) at Montgomery (5-1): The Rangers are coming off a 62-6 win over Sayre, while the Red Raiders topped Muncy, 27-7.
Prediction: Montgomery's win over Muncy proved its legitimate. ... MONtGOMERY 55, NORTHWEST 6.
The Mick: Montgomery 44, Northwest 0 ... Country Bob: Montgomery 35, Northwest 0 ... Little Red: Montgomery 42, Northwest 10.
Cowanesque Valley (2-4) at CMVT (3-3): The Indians are coming off a 54-6 loss at South Williamsport, while the Rams dropped a a 55-22 decision to Jenkintown.
Prediction: CV's two wins are against teams with a combined record of 1-11, while CMVT's three wins are against teams with a combined record of 1-17. ... Cowanesque Valley has some athletes who can make plays. ... CV 32, CMVT 28.
The Mick: CV 26, CMVT 12 ... Country Bob: CV 28, CMVT 6 ... Little Red: CV 36, CMVT 6.
