Skyrockets in flight, afternoon delight.

I didn’t forget about you, Kosciusko! This week has been very busy and finding time to write out my picks became difficult. But, here they are. All five of our coverage teams have a chance to win this weekend, but am I risky enough to actually pick all five? We’ll see.

Last week I made a mistake in how I picked the Plymouth v. Concord game. I said that Plymouth would lose because of its quarterback, Jack Barron. I wrote that poorly. What I meant was that he could be prone to turning the ball over if Concord put pressure on him. Instead I just blatantly wrote that he would lose the game for his team. That was wrong of me and I apologize to Jack and the Rockies, who completely embarrassed the Minutemen in Dunlap. I was going to pick Plymouth’s game this week but it plays Goshen and the Redskins are terrible so I’m not wasting the space.

Congratulations to Warsaw’s Sam Rice who keeps advancing in the IHSAA boys tennis tournament. Another big shout out goes to the Lady Tigers volleyball team. Warsaw clinched the Northern Lakes Conference title last night with its win over Concord, nicely done. Good luck to the Warsaw girls soccer team as it competes for a sectional title tomorrow at home.

Finally, good luck to all of the local cross country teams competing in sectional races tomorrow!

Last Week: 4-3
Overall: 36-24

High School Football Week 8 10/10

Whitko (5-2) at Rochester (6-1), 7 p.m. *Game of the Week*
The Scoop: IT’S A THREE RIVERS THROW DOWN! I’m traveling down to Zebra land tonight for this game and I am pumped for what is going to unfold. Both teams enter on big winning streaks and undefeated in Three Rivers Conference play. This is the game that Tanner Hughes has been waiting for. Yes, that man who is now the all-time leading rusher in Whitko history is going to be the center piece for this victory.
Okay, that’s an obvious statement. If Whitko wins this game it will be because Hughes has a great game and I have no doubt that he will do just that.
The Wildcats are a good team, they aren’t sneaking up on anyone here so they will have to bring their best game if they want the win, but I have a feeling that they get redemption from last season’s loss and set themselves up for an outright TRC title.
The Pick: Whitko 27, Rochester 21.

Tippecanoe Valley (1-6) at North Miami (0-7), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: The struggle is real for both of these TRC teams but one will escape with a victory tonight and it will be a huge weight lifted for that team. This game really could go either way, both teams have noticeable weaknesses and both can be exploited. I’m going with experience in this contest, meaning that I’m going with the team that has historically known how to win and that is the Vikings. This might be the last chance Valley has at getting a win this season so I look for the Vikings to go all out and score a mile high victory in Denver. (Did you see what I did there? I’m witty.)
The Pick: Valley 20, North Miami 10.

Wawasee (4-3) at Elkhart Memorial (1-6), 7:30 p.m.
The Scoop: Big, big win for the Warriors last Friday over Warsaw. That was the win Wawasee needed to get on a roll, beating the Tigers was step one in a two step process. Step two is staying focused and not overlooking Memorial. Yes, I know, Memorial is bad, but the Chargers have been bad the past few seasons and in each of those seasons this game has ended with the losing team being within one possession of winning or tying.
The nice thing is that there is nothing to look past Memorial for as Wawasee plays 0-7 Goshen next week. So, the main focus should undoubtedly be the Chargers and I think it will. I’m looking for a strong running performance out of Wawasee to secure the program’s fourth-straight winning record in the regular season.
The Pick: Wawasee 30, Memorial 16.

Warsaw (4-3) at NorthWood (4-3), 7:30 p.m.
The Scoop: Okay, so the aforementioned Charger team lost last week to NorthWood 2-0. No, that is not a typo. Two points to zero points. It was a football game, not a Eurpoean football game. That final score actually doesn’t play into my analysis at all, I just wanted to mention it because it’s hilarious.
The Tigers are going to roll in this game! Warsaw did a lot of things right last week against Wawasee and still lost by 11 points. That has been stewing with this team all week and all of that anger is going to be taken out on this 4-3 Panther team that has no business being 4-3. I’m honestly looking for a big win here. I’ve seen other predictions going with NorthWood, so maybe I’m just crazy but I’m all-in on Warsaw this week.
The Pick: Warsaw 31, NorthWood 13.

Knox (1-6) at Triton (1-6), 7:30 p.m.
The Scoop: Is he really going to do this? Would he really pick every local team to win this weekend? Who would be that big of a risk taker? Who is that cavalier!?
I am! Yes, every one of our coverage teams is picking up a ‘W’ tonight! Every. Single. One. Triton hosts Knox in a battle of the bottom-feeders in the top-heavy Northern States Conference. Yes, this game is a toss-up but Triton has the edge because it is at home and is looking for vengeance from last year’s 14-13 defeat at the hands of the Redskins. This will be Triton’s last chance at a win in the regular season so, just like Valley, the Trojans should play all-out and get a nice win.
The Pick: Triton 19, Knox 6.

College Football 10/11

Indiana (3-2, 0-1) at Iowa (4-1, 1-0), 12 p.m.
The Scoop: Historically the Hoosiers always play Iowa very well and have more often than not pulled an upset against the Hawkeyes. So, with all of that in mind I want to pick Indiana to win. However, Indiana has already choked on the road this season with a loss at Bowling Green. How could I pick the Hoosiers to win at Iowa if they can’t win at Bowling freaking Green? Oh, I know, because this same IU team also knocked off a ranked Missouri team on the road. How does any of that make sense? This team is ridiculously annoying and I can’t handle it anymore. I’m picking Indiana to lose, so this will be a nice victory for the Hoosiers most likely.
The Pick: Iowa 38, Indiana 24.

No. 8 Michigan State (4-1, 1-0) at Purdue (3-3, 1-1), 3:30 p.m.
The Scoop: Okay, let’s look at the positives of this matchup. Purdue is at home and the All-American Marching Band will be there and that means the show at halftime will be nice. Okay, that about sums up all of the good things.
Purdue had a great win last week at Illinois. Seriously, right when everyone was starting to talk up the Illini and how they could be a dark horse team this season, the Boilers march in and score a decisive victory. Don’t expect that to happen this week. Michigan State is too good. Plus, Sparty can’t lose this week because it has to lose at IU next weekend.
The Pick: Michigan State 44, Purdue 20.

North Carolina (2-3) at No. 6 Notre Dame (5-0), 3:30 p.m.
The Scoop: With Florida State coming up next weekend, this could certainly be a trap game for Notre Dame. I really would not be shocked if the Irish slipped up at home Saturday afternoon. I look at this game as the Pittsburgh game from the 2012 season. You know, the three overtime game in which the ghost of every Notre Dame player ever helped Pitt to miss a gimme field goal? Yeah, I don’t this to be quite as dramatic but I do think the Tar Heels will stick around. (Ha! I’m on my game today.) Everett Golson finds a way to lead his team to victory late in this one.
The Pick: Notre Dame 24, North Carolina 20.