Blitz Picks October 21/22/23
The playoff picture and district title races will clear up a little bit this week, thanks to some big games on the schedule. Clyde/Early, Bangs/Sonora, Jacksboro/Eastland, Hawley/Anson, Coleman/Cisco, Rotan/Hermleigh and May/Baird are among the top games in the Big Country this week, and many of them will be battles for first place.
As for the picks… (insert fire emoji here).
Let’s just say it was another good/luck week, and I’m up to a not-too-shabby 82 percent for the season.
Week 8: 22 for 24 (91.7%)
Week 7: 26 for 27 (96.3%)
Week 6: 20 for 25 (80.0%)
Week 5: 21 for 28 (75.0 %)
Week 4: 22 for 26 (84.6%)
Week 3: 22 for 29 (75.9%)
Week 2: 22 for 30 (73.3%)
Week 1: 25 for 30 (83.3%)
Season: 180 for 219 (82.2%)
Rescheduled: Plainview at Wylie moved to 11/27
Cancelled: Breckenridge at Wall (forfeit win for Wall); Colorado City at Stamford (forfeit win for Stamford); Crosbyton at Hamlin; Ranger at Cross Plains; TLCA Abilene at Trent
Odessa Permian (3-0, 1-0) at Abilene High (0-3, 0-1)
The Warbirds return home after a loss at San Angelo Central to face a team considered to be the best in District 2-6A. Permian rallied past rival Midland Lee 55-44 and hope to keep the MOJO rolling as they head east to Abilene. The Eagles have been competitive in all three games this year and hope to put it all together and upset the Panthers.
The pick: Permian
Cooper (2-1, 1-0) at Granbury (2-2, 1-0)
Two of the three teams that won their District 3-5A Division I opener clash as Cooper visits Granbury. The Cougars pulled away from Justin Northwest in the second half last week, while the Pirates won at Crowley 32-21.
The pick: Cooper
Alvarado (2-6, 0-3) at Brownwood (2-4, 0-1)
The Lions are back in business and should be well rested. They’ll need it as they get set to fit their four remaining district games in a 16-day stretch. Brownwood needs to beat Alvarado to get back in the playoff race. The Indians have dropped their first three games in district play.
The pick: Brownwood
Midland Greenwood (4-3, 2-1) at Snyder (2-4, 0-2)
It’s not quite do or die for the Tigers, but they’d sure love to get on track with an upset of Greenwood. Snyder is coming off a bye week, but fell 46-7 at Monahans their last time out. Greenwood knocked off Monahans 13-9 at home last week to get to 2-1 in district play.
The pick: Greenwood
Clyde (3-4, 2-0) at Early (4-3, 1-1)
These two are likely playoff bound, and this game will be key for seeding. Clyde picked up a forfeit win over TLCA San Angelo after beating Breckenridge in their district opener, while the Longhorns lost to Jim Ned two weeks ago but bounced back 21-0 over the Buckaroos Friday night.
The pick: Clyde
Jim Ned (5-1, 2-0) at TLCA San Angelo (0-7, 0-2)
The Indians should cruise in this one, but will have to guard against a letdown after their big win over Wall. The Eagles had to forfeit their game last week against Clyde and have only scored 33 points all season.
The pick: Jim Ned
Ballinger (7-1, 2-0) at Ingram Moore (1-6, 0-2)
The Bearcats visit Ingram Moore as they look to keep pace with Bangs and Sonora atop the District 2-3A Division II standings. Ballinger is the favorite, but the Warriors will be hungry to find a district win after dropping road games to the Broncos and Dragons.
The pick: Ballinger
Bangs (6-0, 2-0) at Sonora (3-4, 2-0)
Sonora has picked up a pair of district wins after a 1-4 run through their non-district schedule, while Bangs just keeps winning. The Dragons took care of Ingram Moore at home Friday and now hit the road for their biggest game of the season so far. The winner of this one stays in the district title hunt.
The pick: Bangs
Jacksboro (5-2, 2-0) at Eastland (4-3, 2-0)
This one is a battle of district co-leaders in Eastland. The Mavericks take a four-game winning streak into the matchup, while the Tigers have won two straight and four of five, with the lone loss coming to 2A Division I #3 Wellington. The Tiger defense has been stout over the past three weeks, but it likely won’t be stout enough to stop the high-powered Maverick offense that has averaged 62.5 points per game during their winning streak.
The pick: Eastland
Merkel (2-4, 0-2) at Dublin (1-5, 0-2)
The Badgers visit Dublin in a must-win for both teams to stay in the playoff chase. Merkel has lost four in a row, while Dublin has dropped five straight after a season opening victory over De Leon.
The pick: Merkel
Hawley (5-2, 2-0) at Anson (5-1, 2-0)
The District 3-2A Division I lead is up for grabs in Anson when the Tigers and Hawley tangle Friday. Anson gutted out a 27-23 victory at Forsan while Hawley outlasted Stamford 31-16. This is certainly one of the tougher games to pick this week.
The pick: Hawley
Forsan (3-3, 1-1) at Haskell (2-4, 1-1)
Haskell has a chance to get in a groove as they welcome Forsan to town Friday night. The Indians won at Colorado City last week and hope to keep momentum rolling against the Buffaloes, who dropped a four-point decision to Anson last week.
The pick: Forsan
Coleman (6-1, 2-0) at Cisco (4-3, 2-0)
Here is another battle of district leaders as the state ranked Loboes welcome red-hot Coleman to town. The Bluecats have rolled to five straight wins, but this will be their toughest contest, by far, during that stretch. Cisco has taken care of Winters and De Leon to kick off district play and look to stake their claim as the 4-2A Division II favorites with a win over Coleman.
The pick: Cisco
Winters (1-6, 0-2) at Goldthwaite (2-5, 0-2)
Two teams needing a win to keep their playoff chances alive meet in this one. Both are coming off rough losses, the Blizzards by 49 to San Saba and the Eagles by three touchdowns at Coleman.
The pick: Winters
Roscoe (0-7, 0-1) at Ralls (4-3, 0-1) - Thursday
The Plowboys tough road continues at Ralls after a visit to Hamlin last week. Ralls had last week off due to positive COVID testing.
The pick: Ralls
Albany (6-1, 3-0) at Santo (5-3, 2-1) - Thursday
The Lions look to continue their district dominance as they visit Santo Thursday. Albany has yet to give up a point in 8-2A Division II play. Santo bounced back from a loss to Cross Plains with a 40-7 blowout of Hico, but will have their hands full against Albany.
The pick: Albany
Roby (4-4, 0-2) at Aspermont (3-4, 0-1)
The Lions and Hornets are in need of wins if they plan on making the playoffs. Roby has lost three straight, including district defeats to Ira and Hermleigh. Aspermont had last week off after losing their district opener to the Cardinals.
The pick: Aspermont
Rotan (6-1, 0-1) at Hermleigh (8-0, 2-0)
The Cardinals can put themselves in great position to reach the playoffs with a win over the Yellowhammers Friday. Rotan looks to bounce back from their first loss of the season last week to Ira, and needs to pull off the upset if they want to make a postseason push.
The pick: Hermleigh
Robert Lee (2-4, 1-0) at Highland (4-3, 0-1) - Wednesday
The Hornets return to action against Robert Lee after missing last week’s game against Sterling City. Robert Lee beat Bronte 43-42 in their district opener. Highland will now play three district games between now and Halloween:
Oct. 21 - vs Robert Lee
Oct. 26 - at Bronte
Oct. 31 - at Sterling City
The pick: Highland
May (7-1, 2-0) at Baird (3-4, 1-0)
The winner of this one will be in the driver’s seat for the district title. May dominated Santa Anna last week 51-0, while Baird dropped a non-district battle against Fort Worth Covenant Classical 68-65. The Bears have made big strides over the past few weeks, but will need to reach a new level to upset the powerful Tigers.
The pick: May
Lingleville (1-6, 0-1) at Santa Anna (5-3, 0-2)
The Mountaineers have a good shot at getting back in the win column after district losses to Baird and May the past two weeks. Lingleville lost their district opener to Gorman 56-0.
The pick: Santa Annna
Moran (0-8, 0-1) at Lueders-Avoca (0-7, 0-1)
One team will pick up win number one and stay in the playoff race when the Raiders host Moran. Lueders-Avoca played well in a 48-32 loss to Throckmorton last week, while the Bulldogs lost at Woodson 54-8.
The pick: Lueders-Avoca
Harrold (0-2, 0-0) at Rule (5-2, 0-0)
The Bobcats become the final Big Country team to play a district game this week as they host Harrold. The Hornets have only played twice this season, including a 56-0 loss to Guthrie last week. Rule looks for a fourth straight win overall and a good start to District 8-1A Division I action.
The pick: Rule
Brookesmith (4-2, 1-0) at Rising Star (3-5, 0-2)
The Wildcats have another challenge as they take on Brookesmith this week. Rising Star battled hard but came up shy to Sidney 37-30 last week, now they get to face a Mustang squad that hasn’t taken the field since a 55-0 win over Bluff Dale October 2.
The pick: Brookesmith
Abilene Christian (3-0) at Wichita Falls Notre Dame (1-1)
The Panthers hope to stay perfect as they hit the road to Wichita Falls. Notre Dame topped Trent 53-33 its last time out, while ACS got past Lubbock All Saints 53-38 on Saturday.
The pick: Abilene Christian
