Falcons
fight to the finish
It’s
a good thing the Arizona
Cardinals won last week
because I was running
out of jokes.
The
success of the Cactus
Shadows football team,
however, hasn’t been funny–just
fun. The magical season
continued last week with
the Falcons’ late game
surge to beat Queen Creek
in the 4A‑Division
II quarterfinals.
A
rematch against Washington
looms this week in the
semifinals. While no team
wants to try to beat another
good one twice (and you
know Ohio State is praying
it won’t have to face
Michigan again), Cactus
Shadows is good enough
to get the job done.
With
only one local playoff
game, however, and ASU
facing U of A in the rivalry
game, there ain’t much
to pick this week. But
like a true professional,
I will attempt it anyway.
Here
are this week’s picks:
Cactus
Shadows 45, Washington
21. Really, these teams
aren’t that far away from
each other in talent,
although Cactus Shadows’
31‑point win in
the first matchup would
prove otherwise. It seems
the Falcons simply have
too much. Each team has
a great offense, but what
has been setting the Falcons
apart from the rest of
the 4A‑II is their
defense.
Holding
the Rams’ scoring in the
20s is just as impressive
as holding Cactus Shadows
to that total. It simply
doesn’t happen that often,
but the Falcons will figure
out a way to get it done
again this week.
ASU
31, Arizona 30. What happened
to U of A? Did the Cats
trade players with USC
when they played a few
weeks back? All of a sudden,
no matter who the opponent
is, the Wildcats can’t
lose.
Conversely,
ASU is looking like it
doesn’t even want to
go to a bowl. They look
good one week, horrendous
the next.
All
signs point to a U of
A win in this “Territorial
Cup” rivalry, so that’s
exactly why I’m going
with ASU. Throw the records
out the window in this
one. Momen tum is only
as big as the last play
in a rivalry and the
Sun Devils will squeak
one out to save Dirk Koetter’s
job.
Cardinals
21, Vikings 17. With a
one‑game winning
streak to their credit,
the Cardinals try to put
two in a row together
against another team desperate
for a victory. This game
might not be as pitiful
as last week’s against
the hapless Detroit Lions,
but it comes close.
Last
week: 5‑1
Season:
63‑17 (.788)
