Eureka!
The exclamation ‘Eureka!’ is famously attributed to the ancient Greek scholar Archimedes. He reportedly proclaimed ‘Eureka!’ after he had stepped into a wooden bath barrel and noticed that the water level rose, and he suddenly understood that the volume of water displaced must be equal to the volume of the part of his body he had submerged.
Yes, there’s no doubt you always learn something in this column.
This whole episode has no connection with what is known as Archimedes’ Principal. That axiom deals with the upthrust experienced by a body immersed in a fluid. Yes, you’re still learning.
When Archimedes realized objects now could be measured with such precision, previously incalculable, he leapt out of the bathtub and ran through the streets of Syracuse, Italy naked.
Enough learning for one week.
Well, last weekend I likewise yelled ‘Eureka!” And, I wasn’t submerging anything.
Despite getting bad information on the home team for one ‘Big-11’ game, the reliable Ouija had my back before delivering the perfect 9-0 performance in week-9.
That’s the third perfect week this season, eighth in column history and runs the year-to-date record to 64-9 (.877).
At this point, we”l leave Archimedes alone, and submerge ourselves into this week’s slate of ‘Big-11’ games, where Northside has the bye week.
BLACKSBURG AT PATRICK HENRY:
PH must again look to regroup after last week’s loss to Salem. The Patriots are on the playoff bubble and the pass-happy Bruins won’t be a cakewalk.
Patrick Henry- 34 Blacksburg- 28
CAVE SPRING AT SALEM:
The best hope for Cave Spring is to catch Salem looking ahead to next week’s matchup with Pulaski County.
Salem- 49 Cave Spring- 14
LORD BOTETOURT AT WILLIAM BYRD:
Byrd is also on the bubble in 4A West’s limited 12-team playoff. Botetourt will pose quite a challenge in Vinton.
Lord Botetourt- 28 William Byrd- 24
ALLEGHANY AT WILLIAM FLEMING:
The Colonels look to rise to the occasion on the Fleming artificial turf. This one looks close.
William Fleming- 26 Alleghany-24
HIDDEN VALLEY AT PULASKI COUNTY:
Hidden Valley gave up 44 points last Friday night and won by scoring 50. That’s the concern, scoring 50 against the undefeated Cougars.
Pulaski County- 42 Hidden Valley- 21
GLENVAR AT RADFORD:
A tougher test in Radford than many expect. It took the Highlanders 2 overtimes to beat the Bobcats last year.
Glenvar- 28 Rafford- 27
COVENANT VS NORTH CROSS (Salem High School Field)
North Cross and Covenant are 3rd and 4th in the VIS Division-III playoff standings. The Raiders get 6 days to prepare for this one.
North Cross- 23 Covenant- 19
BLESSED SACRAMENT-HUGUENOT AT ROANOKE CATHOLIC:
BSH was once the private school prohibitive favorite. The Celtics have flipped that on the visitors this year.
Roanoke Catholic- 34 Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot- 20
Now, to the mail bag, where one reader wants to know about the weekly prediction slate and another is curious about the winter weather.
Dear Wild Bill: How do you come up with the list of games to predict each week? (Jimmy/Daleville)
Very easy, Larry. No compromise, it’s the games each week for all eleven “Big-11′ teams. No adding, no subtracting. We predict the hand we’re dealt.
Dear Crazy Predictor: You going to predict winter weather this year? No one else has been very successful. (Victoria/Roanoke)
You’re funny, Victoria. I’m thinking about it and got the Old Farmer’s Almanac on the nail. A couple weeks ago I heard one prediction that we should dress like we expect to get wet. I expect to get wet when I take a shower, but I’m not wearing that anywhere.
Until next week, get your get-wet outfit ready and jump in the Archimedes bathtub. And, pencil your smudgy questions to [email protected]
