by Bill Turner
Last week was a strange one in the football ranks with many high school teams having an open week to regroup at the midway point. District play begins this Friday as the march to the playoffs begins in ernest for all the hopefuls.
The biggest college mishap was clearly led by the Hokie blowout to Clemson that dropped Tech 10 spots in the AP rankings.
Tech entertains Miami Saturday afternoon, with the ACC lifeline dangling. I look for the Hokies to rebound with vengeance against the Canes.
Congrats go out to the Cave Spring golf team that qualified for next week’s state championship tournament in Front Royal. The Knights look to be a strong contender to bring home some serious hardware to the Roanoke golf scene.
Last week’s predictions again resulted in only one miss, the fourth such performance in six weeks. Things now get tough with the start of district play and nine games on the slate. No use making excuses, but if I botch it up, I’m blaming it on the band. Where else have I heard that lately?
Patrick Henry at G.W. Danville: This is always a tough place to play, but PH has the team to settle the dust along the Dan River. The Patriots learned volumes from the Battlefield loss. PH- 28 G.W. Danville- 19
Franklin County at William Fleming: A rare same-season rematch from week one. The Colonels are playing tougher, but the Eagles may have too much. Franklin County- 24 Fleming-7
Northside at Alleghany: This one’s being built up in Low Moor like the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for Alleghany, Northside resembles Green Bay. Northside- 38 Alleghany- 13
William Byrd at Lord Botetourt: Byrd got its act together last week at Glenvar. Jeff Highfield’s group should have enjoyed the result better than the previous four. William Byrd- 27 Lord Botetourt- 14
Cave Spring at Salem: This will be a good week for the 50/50 drawing at Salem Stadium. The Knight’s Sam Wright may cash in as well. This will be a good one for sure. Cave Spring- 27 Salem- 21
Blacksburg at Hidden Valley: Hidden Valley is still looking to prove a point. This may be a bad week for the Bruins to trod on Edmunds-Hammes Field.
Hidden Valley-34 Blacksburg-16
Floyd County at Glenvar: Glenvar’s loss to Byrd last week provides a bad omen for the Buffs. West Salem is no place for the Buffalo to roam. Glenvar- 35 Floyd County- 21
North Cross at Liberty Christian: North Cross is definitely big-game ready. But, undefeated LCA may prove too much at home for the Raiders. Liberty Christian- 28 North Cross-16
Roanoke Catholic at Virginia Episcopal: Both teams are coming off wins. The Celtics may find a little tougher opponent in the form of VES on the road.
VES- 20 Roanoke Catholic- 12
Off to the mailbag:
Dear Mr. Predictor: Are you embarassed after saying our Byrd Terriers would lose to Glenvar last week? I’d say that was the worst call of the week. (Helen/Vinton)
Answer: Yea, Helen, I missed that one bad. But, it was only the second worse. The top botch goes to the Vegas guy who picked Tech to win by 7.
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