Nick mocks the draft in a special edition of Nick’s Picks.

Nick picks all of the exciting upsets and other things that probably won’t happen in this year’s March Madness.

Sectional semifinal and championship picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Prep sports picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep hoops picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep, college and pro picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep, college and pro picks from IFN sport writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep, college and pro picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep, college and pro picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep, college and pro picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep, college and pro picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep, college and pro picks from IFN writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep and college football picks from Ink Free writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep football picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep football picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep basketball picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep basketball picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep basketball picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk

Weekly prep basketball picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep basketball picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly prep basketball picks from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly picks for prep basketball games by IFN writer Nick Goralczyk.

Picks for weekly games from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly picks for local high school, college and pro sports from IFN write Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly picks of local prep, college and pro football games from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly picks of local prep, college and pro football games from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly picks of local prep, college and pro football games from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly picks of local prep, college and pro football games from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly picks of local prep, college and pro football games from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

You’ll have to excuse me if this week’s article is not as cheery as usual. I recently had something ridiculous happen to me and I’d rather not talk about it, just know that I am embarrassed currently. No, actually, people of Kosciusko, you are my friends and I should explain what happened. See, last night …read more.

Weekly picks of local prep football games and college matchups from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

Weekly picks of local prep football games from IFN sports writer Nick Goralczyk.

FOOTBALL Spring has finally sprung so I have decided to bounce back with an article as well. Next week I will be back with an official pick’em for local games but this week I am focusing just on the 2015 NFL Draft which starts Thursday night in Chicago. I’ve spent the last few days doing …read more.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The NCAA tournament starts today and I am in seventh heaven. The next two days are the best two days of sports all year long. Nothing but basketball from noon until midnight. I’ve got my picks ready to present to you, so by 8:00 p.m. tonight they …read more.

It’s going to be a great weekend for Kosciusko hoops fans. The Tippecanoe Valley Lady Vikings will be playing for a state title and three boys teams are still in the running for sectional titles. This past week was not great for all area hoops fans as we closed the book on the seasons for …read more.

Why the pink pen? Who the heck is Oscar? Well, you know the Oscars are this weekend. So, that answers one question. But, why the pink pen? Every week I write out my picks before typing them up. I typically do this with my perfect Sharpie pen (product placement…ca-ching!) but, I lost that pen. So, …read more.

The first wave of the girls postseason in nearly over. Can you believe that we are already this far along in the sports season? It seems like just yesterday I was standing in the frigid rain at the girls golf state finals. But tomorrow I’ll be standing on the deck at The Nat at the …read more.

It’s Super Sunday, the most bittersweet day of the entire year. We get to experience one of the greatest annual sporting events but we also have to face the fact that this will also be our last real football game until September. It is a roller coaster of emotions for everyone involved. Let’s cut to …read more.

If all of the local teams playing for conference titles actually win said titles, they should send me a shirt… Disclaimer: I’m only writing this so I won’t get fined. Just when you thought it was safe to walk the streets, somebody goes and steals cold cuts. What is this world coming to, Kosciusko? Alright, …read more.

(After school special, because it’s after 3 p.m. Do you get it??? Yeah, you get it.) Here we are, a new week of games and a new week of picks. Usually I try to come up with something mildly interesting to talk about before getting to my picks for the week, but I really don’t …read more.

It’s been nearly a month since I’ve written a picks article. So, the important questions need to be asked up front. How have you survived, Kosciusko!? I was not there for you during the first two rounds of the NFL playoffs. I was not there when you needed me most for the Golden Globes picks, …read more.

I could blame the late time of this post on several things. It could be that I’ve spent too much time at Christmas parties. I could easily use that excuse. I could blame the delicious pizza I had a few hours ago at our office party. Or the bacon-apple pie I had yesterday at another …read more.

And we’re back! (Later than I planned!) Okay, so my break went a little longer than I had originally said. I originally put the wrong date in my last article about when I was going to return and then some things happened last week that made me put this on the back burner. But now …read more.

The good news is that I hit on every pick last week, a perfect 7-0. The bad news is that many of my picks went against local teams. So, it was a relatively bad week for the local athletes. The best news, however, is that I was successful in beating Ink Free’s very own Mike …read more.

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 …read more.

The fall sports season is nearing its end. IHSAA State Finals for girls golf start this weekend, soccer and cross country sectionals start next week, tennis regionals take place next week and football conference races are finally starting to shape up. I usually ramble on for way too long with my article as a whole, …read more.

Not too long ago I proclaimed the third week of high school football to be the best week that we would see all year, and I was very very wrong. Very wrong. I proclaimed very little going into last week and it turned out to be, perhaps, the best week we will see all season. …read more.

Still not a Rutgers fan… Last week I was very mediocre. In fact, I’m beginning to think that this whole “picking games” idea is a real shot in the dark. Last week my picks were blown up by the likes of Bowling Green, Indiana State and both the Bears and Colts let me down in …read more.

It’s a Friday edition of Nick’s Picks! Last weekend was so bad, I decided to take another day just to recover. But it’s now a new week and everybody gets to start fresh. We are all 0-0 this week, at least that’s how I’m thinking about it. Seriously, it was a rough week for prep …read more.

Dare I say it, Kosciusko? Can it really be true? Is football FINALLY back!? Yes, yes it is. *and there was much rejoicing* Finally we can forget about pretending that we like the summer. Who really enjoys the lake and the sandbar? I mean, did we really enjoy warm weather all that much? Now we …read more.

Well, that was a bummer. Did anyone on the US Men’s National Team get the memo that Tim Howard wasn’t the only one who was supposed to give maximum effort? OK, that’s unfair to say. But for a good portion of the match with Belgium, Howard looked to be the only American soccer player interested …read more.

The time has come where the entire world actually becomes just 16 countries. In the cutthroat tournament that is the World Cup, 32 nations and a world of expectations have narrowed to just 16 nations and 90 – well actually more like 98 – minutes determines whether heroes are eternally glorified or Gross Domestic Products …read more.

“Ten little Indian boys went out to dine…” We have nearly reached the end of our beloved 2013-14 prep sports year. The Warsaw golf team is the last remaining team from our Kosciusko area and it will compete in the Warsaw Regional at Stonehenge Golf and Country Club Thursday morning. While the Tigers are the …read more.

Apparently I embarrassed myself last week with my picks. I picked against the Warsaw baseball team in its sectional semifinal game. The Tigers proved me wrong by beating Northridge before ultimately falling short of Concord in the sectional championship. Earlier in the week I incorrectly picked Fairfield to defend its home turf and knock the …read more.

We are currently in the thick of sectional week for both baseball and softball and it is madness, games started on Monday for local softball teams and the fields are thinning daily. I debated what to do for my picks this week and have decided to go ahead and pick the remaining games on schedule …read more.

It’s hard out here to find a pick… Well, picking spring sports has turned out to be about as much fun as I expected. Postponements and cancellations due to weather have really made it hard to know what games will get play and what games will never see the light of day (literally and figuratively). …read more.

This week I am skipping the usual routine of picking local games and will instead be giving you a spot-on mock draft for this weekend’s 79th annual National Football League Player Selection Meeting. (That’s the technical name for the NFL Draft. See, you learned something today.) Let me just say a few things before I …read more.

That’s right, Bra-Nick-tology. If President Obama can have Barack-otology or whatever ESPN is calling it, then I can certainly have my own made-up word. Take that, POTUS! Anyways, this is a very special edition of Nick’s Picks where I will break down my picks for the NCAA Tournament. I usually do quite well with these …read more.

Once again Grace College is hosting the National Christian College Athletic Association tournaments right here in our back yard. Once again both the men’s and women’s teams are participating in the tournament, leaving 14 spots open for other schools to come to Winona Lake for a weekend full of faith-based fun. And once again, you …read more.

Okay, so this two-part thing is not working my favor. So far, I’ve already missed three picks and have slipped into a deep pickpression. (Pickpression: Depression caused by underwhelming pick results.) But, let’s focus on the positives of Wednesday. The Wawasee-Tippecanoe Valley game was absolutely outstanding and if you were not there, then you seriously …read more.

Tournament time is by far the most anticipated time of the year for me. I wait all fall and winter for the state tournament to get started and as of last night, that time is finally here! This week I have divided my usual one article into two separate, yet equally as exciting, articles. Why? …read more.

The entertainment world lost a truly great mind this week. Writer/Director/Producer/Actor Harold Ramis passed away at his Chicago home on Monday evening and left behind an amazing legacy. Ramis was the brilliant mind behind some of the most entertaining and quotable movies of the 1980’s and ’90’s. He gained fame on Canada’s sketch comedy show, …read more.

I miss football… History is about to be made right before for your very eyes! This week I will be doing two things that I have NEVER done with my picks. Yes, this week it is time to up the ante (but, probably not next week because it takes a lot of work to up …read more.

Super Bowl weekend is finally upon us and I have taken the liberty of setting aside a special article to preview this year’s NFL title match. This will be an exciting game full of some very big personalities and memorable moments. So, without further delay, let’s get down to business. NOTE: I did my homework …read more.

Amazing Grace CollegeHow sweet thou victories are… After going an embarrassing 4-6 three weeks ago, I rebounded with a solid 8-2 with my picks just two weeks back. Some tech issues held me up from getting any picks up last week, but now I am back with even more picking ability! Yes, I have a …read more.

  “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.” -Dory, “Finding Nemo” It finally happened. I regret to inform you devoted readers that last week I went just 4-6 in my picks. Yes, for the first time I finished below .500 with my picks, bringing a frigid cold over the county …read more.

We (me) are back (not front)! Okay, now that I have cleared that up, Happy New Year to everyone! I hope a happy holiday season was had by all and hopefully the good spirits continue well into 2014. It has been a while since I last used my picking ability (sometimes referred to as my …read more.

‘Tis the picks before Christmas and all through Kosciusko,Conference games with local teams are a must go. The stages are set for both Warsaw and Wawasee. While rivals square off in Akron and South Whitley. One Triton team goes East while the other stays home. Meanwhile, to the Maple City, Lakeland Christian will roam. On …read more.

Well, Kosciusko County, we once again find ourselves facing the wrath of Friday the 13th. Back in September we waded through the superstition and possibility of untimely death during this cursed day and made it out alive. Today we will have our superstitions at the forefront of our thoughts as we go about our daily …read more.

[weaver_youtube YqeDIoWEwzA rel=0] COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil – Friday morning marked one of the more anticipated stages of drama in formal sport. FIFA held its draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, to be played in Brazil. Given the international passion for the sport, as well as a very ardent and cultural following of soccer …read more.

Break out the champagne and ticker tape! I have finally accomplished a milestone, my 100th correct pick! It has been a long ride, I could not have done it without you readers and all of the fantastic athletes that have helped me along the way. 100 correct picks is something truly amazing. Nobody else is …read more.

Happy Halloween! I am back with another amazing set of picks for your reading delight. A lot of trick ‘r’ treating was canceled tonight so I pushed off the article a little more for two reasons. The first reason is because I was at the office all day and quite frankly I believe the place …read more.