Come on, you knew I was going to do that, right?
Today’s (PLAYOFF!) Games
Division I
Foothill at Shasta. Winner: Foothill. Cougars playing much better of late. Ryan Pollard is slinging it again, and Shasta QB counterpart Bailey Odell might not be 100 percent healthy. Foothill has shown it wants its season to last as long as possible by winning past couple of weeks. Shasta has dropped four straight games. Let’s ride Big Mo.
Pleasant Valley at Chico. Winner….Come on. You didn’t think it would be this easy, did you? Keep readin’.
Division II
Yreka at West Valley. Winner: West Valley. Pul-lease.
Corning at Orland. Winner: Orland. This could be the best game of the day. Corning’s not too thrilled that it beat Orland yet has to go there. Orland didn’t have QB Tyler Batchelder for the game and lost RT/MLB Vic Raigoza early on. He’s the emotional leader of the Trojans. A fiery competitor. I say those two make the difference, along with if James Wiseman is pressed into QB duties again these past several weeks have given him plenty of time to get more comfortable.
Wheatland at Central Valley. Winner: Central Valley. The Falcons’ hurry-up offense hurries the Pirates back on the bus. See what I did there? (Sarcasm). Just think the Falcons are a good enough team most seasons to be a section finalist if not section champion. Most seasons that is.
Lassen at Sutter. Winner: Sutter. Lassen won’t be a pushover. But Huskies will be up to the task to win without too much of a sweat late.
Division III
Williams at Colusa. Winner: Colusa. These two teams met last week. Sticking with the team that won 32-8. Call me crazy.
Hamilton at Willows. Winner: Willows. Honkers a 4 seed? When have we heard that before? Oh yeah, two years ago when they won it all. Tough draw for the Braves, who are used to postseason runs but not this time around.
Winters at Trinity. Winner: Trinity. I like the Warriors against at least half of the bracket, but that does NOT include Trinity at home. Wolves roll.
Pierce at Durham. Winner: Durham. Trojans don’t catch a break as a 2 seed, drawing a team that beat them 14-7 on Oct. 18. That game wasn’t at Durham. And I don’t expect Durham to make the mistakes it did in that loss. Trojans advance.
Division IV
Quincy at Maxwell. Winner: Maxwell. Maxwell is not bowing out early as the No. 1 seed.
Etna at Chester. Winner: Chester. Take the home team when in doubt in the playoffs, especially when you know little about the teams involved.
Portola at Fall River. Winner: Fall River. Fall River is the one team that could probably break up the predicted final of Maxwell-Biggs.
Weed at Biggs. Winner: Biggs. The Wolverines have steamrolled everyone in their path save for Maxwell. Not changing now.
Division VI
Butte Valley at Dunsmuir. Winner: Undefeated for a reason, Dunsmuir moves on.
Big Valley at Redding Christian. Winner: Redding Christian. It seems like it’s been a Redding Christian-Dunsmuir final all along. It’s not about to change now.
OK, remember down below are the Twitter addresses for game updates.
PV at Chico, PV vs. Chico, Chico at Pleasant Valley at Asgard Yard, however the correct wording is. Winner: Chico. The Almond Bowl was the Clayton Welch show as the QB was a highlight reel in the open field on designed runs and scrambles. If PV somehow slows him down enough, that will just open things up for running back Cameron Alfaro and fellow playmakers Paolo DiSano, Mile Fishback, Nate Guanzon, Noah Collado, etc. Curious to see the atmosphere at Asgard Yard with the two schools together at the field they have shared for these past three seasons. But ultimately, Chico led big last time two weeks ago before PV managed two late scores. Maybe, it’s not that big of a margin, but that’s a lot of ground to make up in two weeks’ time. PV has to find a way to make some yards throwing the ball. It couldn’t last time. D-lineman Malik Hopkins has been a terror for Chico, providing the Panthers a defensive playmaker. It seems like he gets two sacks every game, or at least in the ones I’ve seen. Also, curious to see if Welch ends up playing some defense as he did in the teams’ Almond Bowl. He was a factor as he didn’t shy away from contact. He initiated it instead. PV needs a big game from its QB Trent Darms as he will be key on third downs. Vikings have to move the chains consistently, something they didn’t do after the first quarter. Enjoy the game. I’m hoping, too.
Here’s how I’ve done:
Week Zero: 3-0.
Week 1: 6-6.
Week 2: 7-4.
Week 3: 7-3.
Week 4: 10-2.
Week 5: 7-4.
Week 6: 8-3.
Week 7: 12-3.
Week 8: 12-1.
Week 9: 15-3.
Week 10: 18-0!
I’m 57-7 the past 4 weeks. Maybe I do know what I’m talking about. Naaahhh, that can’t be it.
The right stuff: Chico over Shasta, Enterprise over PV, Paradise over LP, Sutter over Oroville, Orland over Winters, Durham over Live Oak, Biggs over Los Molinos (forfeit), Wheatland over Gridley, Hamilton over East Nicolaus, Willows over Pierce, Foothill over Red Bluff, West Valley over Corning, Big Valley over Princeton, Central Valley over Anderson, Lassen over Yreka, Dunsmuir over Mercy, Trinity over Mount Shasta, Colusa over Williams.
Didn’t see these coming: Nada.
So on the season: 105-29.
Can’t make it to the games?
Here’s who to follow on Twitter for certain games:
Pleasant Valley at/vs. Chico at Asgard Yard, @JShufelberger photos and videos from the one and only @JasonHalley_ER
Hamilton at Willows, @TravisSouders
Pierce at Durham, @jtlarson and the Marysville Appeal-Democrat’s Kirk Barron @ADKirkBarron
Foothill at Shatsa, @airnboy
Wheatland at Central Valley, @tjholmes_RS
Yreka at West Valley, @tlawrence_RS.
Feel free to throw some picks of your own in the comments section.
