Week 8 is upon us, and the end of the regular season is in sight. All four Valley teams are in action Friday night, with Tioga, Waverly, and Sayre at home, and Athens on the road. Tioga hosts Groton with a chance to lock up the Division VII title, while Waverly hosts Class AA Ithaca in a non-divisional hook-up, and Sayre hosts Large School power Troy.
Athens travels to face Small School foe Canton.
The VSR Pigskin Prognosticators posted a solid effort in Week 7 with Little Red, Country Bob and I at 9-2, and The Mick and Madden & Summerall at 8-3.
On the season, Little Red is 62-14, The Mick is 61-13, Country Bob 60-14 and I are 60-14, and Madden & Summerall is 55-19.
Without further ado, let's see what VSR's Pigskin Prognosticators foresee in Week 8:
Groton (5-1) at Tioga (4-3): The Tigers, unranked heading into last week's game, rolled to a 43-6 win over Schuyler, which was ranked 8th in the state in Class D, while the 15th-ranked Red Hawks blanked SVEC, 38-0.
In its four-game win streak, Tioga, which rocketed up to No. 7 in Class D, has outscored its foes by an average of 37.3 to 13.8 points per game.
Groton is outscoring its opponents by an average of 47.7 to 13.2 points per game this season.
Prediction: Tioga dominated Schuyler up front. Schuyler did the same to Groton the week before in a 36-8 win. Groton's team speed could create issue for Tioga, but I don't know that the Red Hawks' defense can stop the Tigers. ... TIOGA 46, GROTON 22.
The Mick: Tioga 45, Groton 12. ... Country Bob: Tioga 42, Groton 28. ... Little Red: Tioga 42, Groton 21. ... Madden & Summerall: Groton 42, Tioga 28.
Ithaca (3-3) at Waverly (4-2): The Wolverines, ranked 7th in the state in Class C, are coming off 33-22 win over state-ranked Johnson City, while the Bear Cubs dropped a 34-0 decision to Elmira.
Three of Waverly's four wins are against bigger and state-ranked schools in Port Jervis (10th in Class B), Johnson City (15th in Class B, but 9th when it played Waverly, and Horseheads (10th in Class A, eighth when they played).
After wins over three smaller schools, Ithaca has lost to Johnson City, Corning, and Elmira in its last three game.
Prediction: Waverly's offense has been very good, and its defense has been improved in recent weeks. Two of Ithaca's wins come against Class D SVEC and Class C Homer, who are a combined 1-11. ... WAVERLY 34, ITHACA 19.
The Mick: Waverly 44, Ithaca 6. ... Country Bob: Waverly 49, Ithaca 0. ... Little Red: Waverly 42, Ithaca 14. ... Madden & Summerall: Waverly 34, Ithaca 21.
Athens (6-1) at Canton (4-3): The Wildcats are coming off a 58-0 win over North Penn-Mansfield, while the Warriors dropped a 14-6 decision to Muncy.
Athens, which has won five in a row, is outscoring its opponents by an average of 40.1 to 14.3 points per game, and is allowing just seven points per game in its six wins.
Canton, thanks in large part to blowout losses to Montgomery and South Williamsport has been outscored by an average of 20 to 16.7 points per game.
Prediction: Canton lost 56-0 to South Williamsport, while Athens pulled out a hard-fought 17-7 win over the Mounties. That about says it all. ... ATHENS 42, CANTON 6.
The Mick: Athens 44, Canton 0. ... Country Bob: Athens 48, Canton 0. ... Little Red: Athens 56, Canton 0. ... Madden & Summerall: Athens 42, Canton 12.
Troy (6-1) at Sayre (2-5): The Redskins are coming off a 56-7 loss to Montgomery, while the Trojans topped Cowanesque Valley, 60-27.
Prediction: Sayre is much-improved over last year, there's no doubt about that, but Troy is an out of their depth. ... TROY 54, SAYRE 6.
The Mick: Troy 56, Sayre 0. ... Country Bob: Troy 56, Sayre 0... Little Red: Troy 56, Sayre 0. ... Madden & Summerall: Troy 52, Sayre 0.
Towanda (3-4) at Montgomery (6-1): The Black Knights are coming off a 16-7 loss to Montgomery, while the Red Raiders thumped Sayre, 56-7.
Prediction: Towanda struggled mightily on offense last week against a 1-win Wellsboro team. Montgomery's defense is even better. ... MONTGOMERY 32, TOWANDA 6.
The Mick: Montgomery 48, Towanda 14. ... Country Bob: Montgomery 42, Towanda 6. ... Little Red: Montgomery 42, Towanda 0. ... Madden & Summerall: Montgomery 52, Towanda 14.
North Penn-Mansfield (0-7) at Muncy (4-3): The Tigers are coming off a 58-9 loss at Athens, while the Indians topped Canton, 14-6.
Prediction: The Tigers are giving up more than 45 points per game, and Muncy's offense feasted on Sayre and Wyalusing. ... MUNCY 40, NP-M 0.
The Mick: Muncy 28, NP-M 6. ... Country Bob: Muncy 48, NP-M 0. ... Little Red: Muncy 56, NP-M 6. ... Madden & Summerall: Muncy 35, NP-M 6.
South Williamsport (5-2) at Cowanesque Valley (2-5): The Mounties are coming off a 71-0 win at Wyalusing, while the Indians dropped a 60-27 decision to Troy.
Prediction: CV has some athletes, but won't match-up with South in the trenches, and that's where games are won. ... SOUTH 48, CV 14.
The Mick: South 36, CV 12. ... Country Bob: South 48, CV 0. ... Little Red: South 34, CV 14. ... Madden & Summerall: South 35, CV 21.
Wyalusing (0-7) at Wellsboro (2-5): The Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak last week with a 16-7 win over Towanda, while the Rams were throttled, 71-0, at home by Montgomery.
Prediction: Wellsboro's offense has struggled at times this year, averaging just 10.4 points per game this season, but the Wyalusing defense is allowing 49.2 points per game, and has allowed 73 and 71 points in its last two losses. ... WELLSBORO 47, WYALUSING 6.
The Mick: Wellsboro 33, Wyalusing 0. ... Country Bob: Wellsboro 47, Wyalusing 0. ... Little Red: Wellsboro 46, Wyalusing 0. ... Madden & Summerall: Wellsboro 35, Wyalusing 0.
SVEC (0-6) at Newark Valley (2-4): The Eagles are coming off a 38-0 loss to Groton, while the Cardinals dropped a 28-7 decision to Trumansburg for its third straight loss.
Prediction: SVEC has been out scored 33.7 to 3.2 points per game this season. Newark Valley has struggled against the better teams in Class D, but should have more than enough this week. ... NV 30, SVEC 12.
The Mick: NV 35, SVEC 8. ... Country Bob: NV 42, SVEC 0. ... Little Red: NV 20, SVEC 6. ... Madden & Summerall: NV 28, SVEV 0.
Oneonta (3-3) at Owego (1-5): The River Hawks dropped a 20-3 decision to U-E, while the Yellowjackets are coming off a 47-6 loss to Chenango Forks.
Prediction: As a Class B school, Owego has played a much tougher schedule, but Oneonta has shown it can score points. The question is can they do it on a solid Owego defense, and if they do, can Owego keep up. ... OWEGO 26, ONEONTA 6.
The Mick: Owego 28, Oneonta 13. ... Country Bob: Owego 35, Oneonta 6. ... Little Red: Owego 21, Oneonta 0. ... Madden & Summerall: Oneonta 35, Owego 14.
