Perfect streak is over-barely

Well, that was fun while it lasted. If not for a four point loss for Sandra Day O'Connor against LaJoya last week, I'd still be undefeated across the board.

Nonetheless, it was another successful week of selections as Cactus Shadows and Boulder Creek did as predicted, the three main Arizona university teams all won, and the Cardinals looked like ... well, the Cardinals.
So, putting my 20 1 record on the line, here are this week's picks:

Cactus Shadows 28, Coronado 10. Cactus Shadows has basically won all of its games by halftime, and last week's 42 0 lead at the break against Cortez was no exception. It might not be as easy this week against Coronado, which comes in with a winning record. But count on the Falcons pulling away in the second half to move to 5 0.

Deer Valley 17, O'Connor 14. It's hard to believe, but region play is here. And O'Connor kicks it off against Deer Valley, a school that Eagles coach Rick Mey coached until O'Connor opened its doors four years ago. The Eagles' defense has kept it in games this year, but had trouble against LaJoya last week as O'Connor lost its first game of the year. This one could come down to a field goal at the end.

Boulder Creek 24, Kellis 23. The battle of first year varsity teams will give one of them a chance to pick up a victory in Anthem. Boulder Creek is coming off two blowout losses and injuries have depleted its depth, but the Jaguars should be angry after last week's home opening loss to Flagstaff and could earn their first victory ever this week.

California 35, ASU 31. ASU is 3 0 and hasn't played its best football yet. That is a good sign for Sun Devil fans. However, Cal is tough at home and poised to get back into the national picture after an opening loss at Tennessee. Both offenses will light up the scoreboard, but the home field advantage should be enough to get the Bears over the top.

USC 50, Arizona 28. The Wildcats did not look impressive in their win over Division I AA Stephen F. Austin last week, which is not a good sign going up against powerful USC in Los Angeles. The Trojans are on cruise control, and like ASU, haven't played their best ball yet. U of A may stay close early if quarterback Willie Tuitama is 100 percent, but the Trojans are just too strong a team to keep it close in the second half.

NAU 27, Idaho State 23. The Lumberjacks punished Division II Dixie State last week 66 14, but that's not saying much considering until this year Dixie was a junior college playing in the same conference as Scottsdale Community College, Glendale Community College, Phoenix College and others. Still, the Jacks certainly got someconfidence back after starting the season with losses against two I A schools. They hope it carries over to this week when the Jacks open the Big Sky Conference season in Pocatello, Idaho. NAU wins with a late touchdown.

Rams 17, Cardinals 14. The Cardinals looked like the team of old during a 21 10 loss to Seattle last week in a game that was not as close as the score indicated. The Cards should get back on track against the Rams this week, but St. Louis is still smarting from an upset against the lowly 49ers last week and badly wants a win of redemption.

Last week: 6 1
Season: 20 1 (.952)

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