Separating the men from the boys

If you go by the fact that I’m still running my air conditioning at 72 degrees even though this is late October, there is no way that it feels like playoff season in football.

But with a couple of weeks left in the prep season, the postseason is right around the corner, meaning the picks are going to get tougher and my so far stellar winning percentage will be taking some hits in the coming weeks. Plus, I need to stop picking the Cardinals to win.

Here are this week’s selections. Remember there is no wagering.

Cactus Shadows 35, Notre Dame 20. What can’t the Falcons do? Even without star wide receiver Kyle Watkins and running back Eric Gorraiz, who missed last week’s game against Bradshaw Mountain with injuries, Cactus Shadows still rolled to a big win. With a full war chest this week, Notre Dame doesn’t have a chance.

Pinnacle 43, Boulder Creek 20. It’s a battle of friends as Boulder Creek coach Scott Heideman faces off against Pinnacle’s Dana Zupke. Both coaches were assistants on some successful Chaparral teams earlier this decade and have since left to start their own programs. Pinnacle is more established and gets the nod here.

Mountain Ridge 28, Goldwater 25. Nobody wants to play Goldwater this time of year and Mountain Ridge will be very lucky to escape with a victory. But if the Bulldogs come to play, don’t be surprised if there is an upset.

O’Connor 10, Trevor Browne 9. Somebody has to win this game. I guess that means somebody has to score as well, something neither team is having success at this year. We’ll go with the home team in this one.

Washington 31, ASU 14. The Sun Devils are flying high after pushing USC to the end and blowing out Stanford. An underrated Washington team will bring the Devils back to earth this week.

NAU 32, Eastern Washington 24. Give it up for the Lumberjacks: They didn’t choke on homecoming this year. Now, they travel to Cheney, Wash.–a place that doesn’t sound very tough to win, but for NAU it is.

Packers 16, Cardinals 13. Come on, Cardinals! I was joking when I said you might lose to the Raiders. I didn’t mean go out and actually do it. Could we have the worst team with the nicest stadium in the NFL?

Last week: 5‑2

Season: 46‑8 (.852)