by Bill Turner
Well, we head into week two of the regional playoffs with five local teams still in the hunt. Not surprisingly, three of those five, Cave Spring-Hidden Valley-Salem, come from the River Ridge. Northside is the sole unbeaten squad at 10-0, while North Cross, win or lose, ends its successful 2011 campaign in the VIS Division III final Saturday.
It’s been another great year for the prediction docket, so let’s take a look back at the highlights from 2011 in ascending order.
#4) Seven-of-twelve weeks saw the slate end up with only one miss-think that’s easy? Give it a shot; you won’t have to tell anyone how it went.
#3) The pick of the year in week 10. You saw it here. Cave Spring picked to beat Christiansburg who was undefeated and the #1 Group AA team in the state at the time. Winning Knight’s quarterback Tony Simmons summed it up best moments after Cave Spring took the final knee in the victory formation: “This is ridiculous! Amazing!” I then got a high-five from Simmons and Knight coach Tim Fulton after dropping my Ouija board at the forty yard line.
#2) The perfect 11-0 record in week 8. The only week of the season where all eleven local teams played someone from out of the area. Admittedly, I resorted to a seance that week due to the overwhelming numbers.
#1) All the players, coaches and cheerleaders who make the season great with their hard work. Once again, in 2011, every player who put on the uniform is hereby officially named to Wild Bill’s Roanoke Star-Sentinel First-Team All-Star Squad. Why waste your time with honorable mentions?
Enough trophy presentations; let’s take a look at this week’s five games.
Hidden Valley at Christiansburg: The Titans have the savvy to make this one close. It’s a rematch from week-8 that saw the Blue Demons win 31-6 on the same field. Christiansburg may have too many horses to be stopped this soon. Christiansburg- 28 Hidden Valley- 16
Robert E. Lee at Northside: The Leemen snuck by Fort Definance 13-11 last Friday while Northside relaxed with a cruise aboard the Viking armada. R.E .Lee will wish they had headed to the high seas by the time this one is over. Northside-45 Robert E. Lee-6
Martinsville at Cave Spring: A rematch from week two when Cave Spring hung 50 points on the Bulldogs in Martinsville. Much closer this time, but with Sam Wright carrying the ball, it will look like a pack of bulldogs chasing a car. Cave Spring- 34 Martinsville- 28
Salem at Magna Vista: Salem has been on a roll, but two straight wins over Pulaski County won’t scare Magna Vista. The Warriors are 10-0 for a reason and are capable of winning the region this year. Magna Vista- 28 Salem-17
North Cross at Norfolk Christian: A rematch of North Cross’ week two win 34-27 at North Cross. The talk then was Norfolk Christian lost because of injuries. They better be looking for another reason Saturday. North Cross is peaking and a Division III championship may be in the cards. North Cross- 35 Norfolk Christian-31
On to the mailbag, where a look at guessing weights has a reader intrigued.
Dear Wild Bill- I saw where you predicted the correct weight in the Great Pumpkin contest held at The Roanoker Restaurant. Was this a guess or prediction? (MaryFlorine /Roanoke)
Answer: Prediction. Based totally on vegetable threshold dynamics. You apply volume geometry to any fruit or vegetable in a spherical or cylindrical shape. In the case of the pumpkin, a sphere, 4/3 times the radius (8 in.) cubed, times pi (3.14) Take this answer and convert to the weight of one cubic inch of inside pumpkin slime adjusted with the average 1 inch outer rind. In this case, it was, as predicted for a $10 gift certificate, 87 pounds. Cucumbers and grapefruits are likewise easy. All bets off on an eggplant, however.
Dear Great Seer: In your estimation, who is the most famous predictor in history? (Eileen/Altavista)
Answer: Many would say Jeane Dixon. But, I’ll go with Steve Martin, as Navin R. Johnson, in the movie “The Jerk.” Predicting weights and ages at a carnival is a tough way to make a living, but at least for Navin, it was a great job.
See you soon, and send your inquiries to: [email protected]
