The regular season has come to an end and five of our Roanoke Valley teams are advancing to postseason action with hopes of bringing home a state title. In Group AA, Northside, Cave Spring and Salem all have first round byes this week and will play against an opponent to be determined from games this Friday night. In the VIS playoffs, North Cross opens Friday night at Hampton Roads Academy and Roanoke Catholic travels to Richmond to battle Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot (both games at 7:00 pm) See the rundowns later in the column.
For the last week of the regular season, my predictions resulted in a 6-2 record and a season ending remarkable winning percentage of .824. I have been informed by the grand poobah at the RSS, that this column will continue with playoff games until the last team bows out or runs the table for a state championship. I have agreed with the understanding that my regular season record is official and my postseason predictions are for entertainment purposes only. Likewise, any reproduction or dissimilation of these picks without the written consent of the RSS (or the NFL) is prohibited.
The mailbox keeps getting full, so I might as well show my appreciation by answering a few again this week.
Dear Great Predictor: My son’s team is already selling shirts that proclaim a state championship. Do you think that’s jumping the gun? (Harold/Anon. address)
Answer: Not if you’ll buy one by the end of this week.
Dear Wild Willy : Sports marketing seems to have hit the high school ranks big time. What’s your opinion on all this and the best/worst you’ve seen. (Junior/Elliston)
Answer: Well, Junior, I really think the high school apparrel is great. Shows a lot of school spirit and the garb is usually pretty sharp. I have some myself after hearing the guy at North Cross announcing 8 or 10 times a game, “EVERYONE looks good in Raider gear.” I finally checked the stuff out at halftime one Friday and he was right. However, I think it may have been a setup. I donned my new Raider shirt and a cute girl asked me if I was a sophomore.
As for the the oddest gimmick, it may be at the college level with those flashing ad mirrors in the bathrooms at Lane Stadium. After some pronounced tailgating at the Duke game, I checked these out near section 13. Quite frankly, if I’m in the market for a condo or any Montgomery County real estate, I prefer to visit a realtor, not a toilet in a football stadium. Plus, everyone glaring in the mirrors made me nervous. But, I think I found the solution- I grabbed a few of those VT car flags when they were tossed in ditches after the loss to James Madison. If held at the right height when standing at the urinals, it gives you quite a bit more privacy. (The flags are machine washable – warm water, like colors, of course.)
Dear Wild Bill : A couple weeks ago, you predicted Fleming would beat Halifax, which they did. Then, a week later Fleming had to forfeit the game. Do you have to take a loss in that situation? ( B. Bowden/Florida)
Answer: No, BB. Dunlop and Williams, the official guidebook of football predictors, states the following in section 231.9-B; ‘if a game’s final score is posted on a scoreboard with :00 seconds left, and/or the predictor is made aware of said score by radio, TV or newsprint, the prediction is deemed official.’ For this game, I did not see the former, but was at a roadside pub to watch the latter.
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Let’s move to the two contests for this week:
North Cross (7-3) must travel across the state to take on Hampton Roads Academy (9-1). The teams have one common opponent, Bishop Sullivan, whom Hampton Roads took down by 8 points and North Cross by 21. The Raiders have had a week off to prepare for this one, which makes Stephen Alex’s hurry-up, no-huddle offense that much better. The Navigators have an all-star running back and potent rushing game, but North Cross’ schedule included some brutal opponents which featured the same. This one should be close, but in the end North Cross makes the Navigators seasick. North Cross – 35 Hampton Roads – 32
Roanoke Catholic (7-3) has the hideous task of taking on powerful Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot (9-1) for the second time in two weeks. The last time saw BS-H win by 33. With the rematch again in Powhatan, there is no reason to change horses. BS-H has scored 32 or more points in all 9 victories. Blessed Sacrament – 37 Rke. Catholic – 12.
