Week 9 of the high school football season is upon us, and three of the four Valley teams are at home, with Tioga making the short trip to S-VE to play SVEC.Waverly and Tioga can clinch division titles Friday night with wins, while Athens looks to run its mark to 8-1, and Sayre has a winnable game for Homecoming.
It doesn't get much better for the VSR Pigskin Picker than last week as Little Red, The Mick, Country Bob, and I all posted perfect 10-0 marks, while Madden & Summerall was 8-2.
On the season, Little Red leads the way at 72-12, while The Mick is 71-13, Country Bob and I are 70-14, and Madden & Summerall bring up the rear at 63-21.
Without further ado, let's see what VSR's Pigskin Prognosticators foresee in Week 9:
Muncy (5-3) at Athens (7-1): The Wildcats are coming off a 42-0 win at Canton, while the Indians are coming off a 41-0 win over North Penn-Mansfield.
Athens has been scoring at an alarming rate — 40.4 points per game, while Muncy is allowing just 10.9 points per game.
Prediction: In a couple of interesting common-opponent comparisons, Athens beat Canton 42-0 last week, while Muncy topped the Warriors, 14-6, two weeks ago ... and Athens bested South Williamsport 17-7 earlier this season, while South topped Muncy, 28-6. ... ATHENS 27, MUNCY 6.
The Mick: Athens 35, Muncy 14. ... Country Bob: Athens 28, Muncy 13. ... Little Red: Athens 31, Muncy 13. ... Madden & Summerall: Athens 35, Muncy 18.
Chenango Valley (2-5) at Waverly (5-2): The Wolverines, ranked 6th in the state in Class C, are coming off a 38-16 win over Ithaca, while the Warriors dropped a 46-6 decision at home to Susquehanna Valley.
Waverly's offense has been clicking all season, averaging 33 points per game, while CV is allowing 30.4 points per game.
Prediction: The Warriors wins are against teams — Binghamton and Whitney Point, which recently folded its program for the season — with a combined record of 0-14. The Wolverines have beaten three state-ranked programs — all in bigger classifications. ... WAVERLY 37, CV 6.
The Mick: Waverly 54, CV 0. ... Country Bob: Waverly 49, CV 6. ... Little Red: Waverly 51, CV 0. ... Madden & Summerall: Waverly 33, CV 12.
Tioga (5-2) at SVEC (0-7): The Tigers, ranked 7th in the state in Class C, are coming off a wild, 62-50, win over Groton, while the Eagles are coming off a 28-6 loss at Newark Valley.
Tioga is riding a five-game winning streak in which it is scoring 42.2 points per game, while SVEC has been outscored 230-25 (32.8 to 3.6) this season.
Prediction: Tioga should win its ninth consecutive division title with ease. ... TIOGA 46, SVEC 0.
The Mick: Tioga 53, SVEC 0. ... Country Bob: Tioga 57, SVEC 0. ... Little Red: Tioga 28, SVEC 6. ... Madden & Summerall: Tioga 42, SVEC 0.
Cowanesque Valley (2-6) at Sayre (2-6): The Redskins are coming off a 55-12 home loss to Troy, while the Indians dropped a 58-0 decision at South Williamsport.
Both teams have wins over the same teams — Wyalusing and NP-Mansfield. CV won by a combined margin of 81-7, while Sayre won by a combined 64-33. Both teams lost to Canton by 13.
Prediction: If the Redskins can avoid penalties and hold on to the football, their power run game could be the difference. However, CV's David Hess will be the most dynamic player on the field, and Sayre's propensity to give up big plays will be the difference. ... CV 34, SAYRE 22.
The Mick: CV 28, Sayre 12. ... Country Bob: Sayre 28, CV 20. ... Little Red: CV 28, Sayre 7. ... Madden & Summerall: Sayre 20, CV 18.
Canton (4-4) at Towanda (3-5): The Warriors are coming off a 42-0 home loss to Athens, while the Black Knights dropped a 35-14 decision at Montgomery.
Prediction: Towanda has lost five of its last six, while Canton has dropped three of four. This is a tough one to call. ... CANTON 22, TOWANDA 20.
The Mick: Canton 24, Towanda 21. ... Country Bob: Canton 18, Towanda 13. ... Little Red: Canton 21, Towanda 7. .... Madden & Summerall: Canton 21, Towanda 20.
Troy (7-1) at Wyalusing (0-8): The Trojans are coming off a 55-12 win at Sayre, while the Rams dropped a 41-13 decision at Wellsboro.
Prediction: Troy is riding a seven-game win streak. Make it eight. ... TROY 56, WYALUSING 0.
The Mick: Troy 57, Wyalusing 0. ... Country Bob: Troy 60, Wyalusing 0. ... Little Red: Troy 42, Wyalusing 0. ...Madden & Summerall: Troy 55, Wyalusing 0.
Montgomery (7-1) at NP-Mansfield (0-8): The Red Raiders are coming off a 35-14 home win over Towanda, while the Panthers dropped a 41-0 decision at Muncy.
Prediction: Montgomery is on a roll. It continues at North Penn. ... MONTGOMERY 45, NP-M 0.
The Mick: Montgomery 56, NP-M 0. ... Country Bob: Troy 60, NP-M 0. ... Little Red: Montgomery 55, NP-M 0. ... Madden & Summerall: Montgomery 56, NP-M 0.
Wellsboro (3-5) at South Williamsport (6-2): The Hornets are coming off a 41-13 home win over Wyalusing, while the Mounties rolled to a 58-0 win at South Williamsport.
Prediction: Wellsboro has had some good moments this season. Tonight won't be one of them. ... SOUTH 36, WELLSBORO 6.
The Mick: South 55, Wellsboro 0. ... Country Bob: South 35, Wellsboro 6. ... Little Red: South 28, Wellsboro 7. ... Madden & Summerall: South 35, Wellsboro 14.
Owego (2-5) at Norwich (2-5): The River Hawks are coming off an impressive 63-6 win over Oneonta, while the Purple Tornadoes received a forfeit from Whitney Point, a week after a 63-15 loss at Maine-Endwell.
Prediction: Owego's ground game chewed up Oneonta, and it's likely to do to the same to Norwich. ... OWEGO 34, NORWICH 13.
The Mick: Owego 36, Norwich 16. ... Country Bob: Owego 42, Norwich 13. ... Little Red: Owego 27, Norwich 14. ... Madden & Summerall: Owego 21, Norwich 20.
Newark Valley (3-4) at Schuyler (6-1): The Cardinals are coming off a 28-6 win over SVEC, while the Storm rolled to a 36-0 whitewashing of Trumansburg.
Prediction: Aside from its loss to Tioga, Schuyler has been impressive with wins over state-ranked Deposit-Hancock, and previously-unbeaten Groton. ... SCHUYLER 41, NV 12.
The Mick: Schuyler 36, NV 12. ... Country Bob: Schuyler 35, NV 6. ... Little Red: Schuyler 28, NV 7. ... Madden & Summerall: Schuyler 26, NV 20.
