Thursday, October 20, 2011
Count on North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge and Collins Hill to make it a Suwanee sweep in this week's football games.
Every week, I pick high school football games that are played in Patch coverage areas from Cumming to Stone Mountain. Check out this week's predictions, then let us know how you think your team will fare in the comment box below ... if you dare. Last week’s best picks: Chattahoochee 37, Sequoyah 10 (actual score, Chattahoochee 31, Sequoyah 12); North Gwinnett 35, Mountain View 17 (actual score, North Gwinnett 35, Mountain View 7). Last week’s worst picks: Norcross 28, Peachtree Ridge 24 (actual score, Peachtree Ridge 41, Norcross 14); Mt. Pisgah 24, Lovett 17 (actual score, Lovett 32, Mt. Pisgah 14). Last week's record: 19-4. Overall record: 143-40-1. Are you ready for another round of picks? Mill Creek at North Gwinnett: If we didn’t know…
Thursday, October 13, 2011
North Gwinnett keeps chugging along; Peachtree Ridge and Collins Hill have fights on their hands.
Every week, I pick high school football games that are played in Patch coverage areas from Cumming to Stone Mountain. Check out this week's predictions, then let us know how you think your team will fare in the comment box below ... if you dare. Last week’s best picks: Peachtree Ridge 28, Collins Hill 24 (actual score, Peachtree Ridge 28, Collins Hill 27); Parkview 21, Central Gwinnett 14 (actual score, Parkview 22, Central Gwinnett 15). Last week’s worst picks: Shiloh 17, Archer 14 (actual score, Archer 35, Shiloh 0); Lambert 21, Johns Creek 20 (actual score, Johns Creek 23, Lambert 0). Last week's record: 17-6-1. Overall record: 124-36-1. Are you ready for another round of picks? Mountain View at North Gwinnett: The North Gwinnett …
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Game of the Year in Region 7-AAAAA matches North Gwinnett and Norcross.
Every week, I pick high school football games that are played in Patch coverage areas from Cumming to Stone Mountain. Check out this week's predictions, then let us know how you think your team will fare in the comment box below ... if you dare. Last week’s best picks: Grayson 42, Shiloh 14 (actual score, Grayson 42, Shiloh 14); Blessed Trinity 21, Westminster 17 (actual score, Blessed Trinity 21, Westminster 14). Last week’s worst picks: North Forsyth 21, Northview 20 (actual score, Northview 39, North Forsyth 13); Stone Mountain 24, Columbia 12 (actual score, Columbia 21, Stone Mountain 7); West Forsyth 24, Alpharetta 21 (actual score, Alpharetta 27, West Forsyth 14). Last week's record: 10-6. Overall record: 107-30. Are you ready for …
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Expect a 3-0 weekend for area football teams.
Every week, I pick high-school football games that are played in Patch coverage areas from Stone Mountain to Cumming. Check out this week's predictions, then let us know how you think your team will fare in the comment box below ... if you dare. Last week's record: 20-5. Overall record: 77-20. Are you ready for another round of picks? Collins Hill at Duluth: A potential crossroads game for both teams. Fact is, the loser of this game will need help from other teams to earn a playoff berth in tough Region 7-AAAAA, which has two state-ranked teams (North Gwinnett and Norcross) and another team playing like one (Peachtree Ridge) at the top of the standings. A big "if" in this game is the availability of Duluth’s Anfornee Stewart, the Gwinnett …
Thursday, September 15, 2011
North Gwinnett vs. Collins Hill highlights local high school football; Peachtree Ridge should win easily.
I was leaving church Wednesday night when I heard the beautiful words: “Thank God for football season.” “Amen,” I thought, as I felt a comfortably cool breeze hit me under the striking golden hues of sunset. “That’s right,” I was still thinking. The summer heat has broken and become Chamber-of-Commerce quality. College and pro games have started, there’s a game on TV almost every night and our favorite sons are playing high-school ball every weekend in our neighborhood stadiums. I took a deep breath to take it all in. How great it is! “Football season is beautiful,” I said in agreement with my fellow church member. She rolled her eyes. The mother then rattled off what it’s like to have a young boy playing in a youth league in Gwinnett …
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Will Peachtree Ridge, Collins Hill win this week?
I was humbled a bit last week in my predictions of high-school football games played in Patch coverage areas from Stone Mountain to Cumming. After a can-you-believe-it 21-3 record the first week, I cooled off to a 16-6 mark last week (38-9 overall). I only missed badly on one pick. Really. So, let's lace 'em up for another week. Are you ready? Newnan at Peachtree Ridge: This is an intriguing game between two programs that are usually in the playoff mix. Peachtree Ridge (1-1) righted whatever went wrong in the Corky Kell Classic in the Georgia Dome (a 26-14 loss to Walton) by thoroughly dominating Roswell 31-2 last week. The game wasn’t even that close, to tell you the truth. Newnan, a second-round qualifier in last year’s Class AAAAA …
Friday, September 2, 2011
Will I jinx your team, or bring it luck this week?
I’ll never forget the exchange of conversations I had with a Gwinnett County football coach several years ago when I wrote a high school football predictions column for a pictures-and-words outfit out of Atlanta (I think they’re in Dunwoody now). “Scott,” the coach said, “Don’t pick us this week. You jinxed us last time.” Sure enough, that happened, although I wouldn’t call it a jinx. I picked his team to win the week before against an inferior team, and the coach’s team played spectacularly awful and lost. His team’s inability to hold onto the ball had more to do with it than what I wrote. OK, I said to the coach. Why not? It was an important game and I could be the bad guy and pick against his team. Result? His team won. He called to say…
Friday, August 26, 2011
North Gwinnett and Collins Hill play tough early season foes. Who do you think will win?
Ah, the optimism of a new football season. Teams that struggled last year just need some confidence to turn things around. Teams that fell short of their goals are dedicated more than ever to get it done this time. Teams that won it all have the swagger that comes with knowing how to reach the top. You may not see your favorite team in a better light than you do right now … before the reality of game time can change everything. Each week through the high school season, Patch will share our predictions on local football games — and ask for yours. Think you’ve got what it takes to pick a winner? Let’s get it on. East St. Louis at North Gwinnett: So what is this guy Bob Sphire doing anyway? Playing three top-flight out-of-conference opponents…
