Back to a full slate of games

Now, that's more like it. We only had four local games last week, but it's back to a full slate as Boulder Creek returns after a week off, Arizona State is back for another game of disappointment and the old alma mater NAU returns after having an extra week to ready themselves to get blown out against Montana.

Without further ado, here are this week's picks:

Cactus Shadows 38, Washington 21. Cactus Shadows will have played so many "Games of the Year" by season's end, the Falcons should be well prepared by the time the playoffs roll around. In previous big tests against Pinnacle and Higley, the Falcons rose to the occasion. They'll do the same thing against the tough Rams to open the Wells Fargo 2 Region season.
Boulder Creek 20, Copper Canyon 17. Copper Canyon has already picked up a pair of wins in its first varsity season-one more than the Jaguars. But Boulder Creek has had a week to heal up and should be fresh and ready to go Friday.

Goldwater 23, Trevor Browne 13. Goldwater is desperate for a victory after back to back losses. The Bulldogs shouldn't have too much of a problem getting back onto the winning track against a weak Trevor Browne team.

North Canyon 40, O'Connor 20. The Eagles will face the defending 5A Division II state champions, which is the last thing they needed in the effort to move up the playoff power point rankings. It could be close early, however.

USC 55, ASU 10. If the Sun Devils lost as bad as they did against Cal and Oregon, just how bad are the Trojans going to beat up on the Devils? This is going to be ugly. Can't wait to see the ratings on ABC at the end of this one to see if there is anybody left watching.

Stanford 17, Arizona 13. I'm not a fan of the Wildcats, so I get especially upset when I pick them to win and they don't. So I'm officially jumping off that sinking ship this week. But watch: That will only mean they'll win.
Montana 48, NAU 17. As a Lumberjack alum, I don't even want to talk about it.

Bears 38, Cardinals 24. What happened to the new Cardinals in their new stadium? At this rate, Dennis Green will have to buy a ticket to watch from the stands before the season is out, if, like a lot of Cards fans, he'd still care to.

Last week: 4 0
Season: 34 5 (.872)