|
|
| Forecast for gridiron guru not a concern |
|
Posted: Thursday, August 30, 2012 7:00 pm
|
Into every life some rain must fall.
Hoping not to drown in a deluge of upsets dictated by the remnants of what was Hurricane Isaac, the Hitman wades into a week that has danger written all over it.
A number of close matchups, the unpredictability of Mother Nature and the upheaval in several teams’ usual weekly routine make the game’s greatest gridiron guru’s usually mundane task considerably more difficult as he looks to build on consecutive .800 weeks to start 2012.
With a quarter century’s worth of consecutive seasons eclipsing the once-coveted .800 mark that has now become commonplace, the fabulous Friday football foreteller has weathered the usual storms that come with such a weekly hazard.
But after a 30-7 (.810) first couple of weeks, the safe bet here is that the practically-perfect prep pigskin prognosticator won’t let what will probably be a few more drops spoil what will likely be another well-deserved parade.
Hoping to be ‘Singing in the Rain’ afterward, the Hitman makes these calls.
See you at the games.
HUMBOLDT @ SOUTH FULTON (Tonight) — Hoping to beat Isaac and the Vikings in the same night, SF moved its District 14A opener vs. H’boldt up a day to ensure the former. Whether the Redmen can accomplish the latter for the first time ever in four career meetings will be determined by the Devils’ tackling — or lack thereof. The Vikes have their usual plethora of speedy big-play artists in the backfield, but reportedly have issues in the trenches — not unlike South Fulton, which also has been shaky up front in two games. The Hitman’s homeboys have more than held their own the past two years in meetings with a superiorly-talented Humboldt team that hasn’t lost a league game since 2009, giving belief that with that gap considerably smaller this year, this could be the year the Devils break through. Adopting the mindset of ‘why not’ rather than ‘why,’ this looks like the perfect time for the season’s first Upset Special. — SOUTH FULTON.
HALLS @ UNION CITY — The Tigers admittedly let UC wiggle off the hook last season, denying them the ‘big one’ that head coach Chris Hurt says the program desperately needed and still needs to restore what was one of rural West Tennessee’s best 1A programs in the 1980s. Halls is in a similar 2-0 position this year and will get off the bus with a good looking set of players with a couple of years of experience. Despite the usual homecoming distractions, though, and the natural temptation to look ahead to next week’s showdown with Huntingdon in a battle of Top 3 single-A clubs, the Tornadoes certainly know the perils of dropping their first district game with the more difficult portion of their 14A slate still to come. And while the forecast is for hopefully just rain, the Twisters should provide their own ‘thunder and lightning’ with an inside-outside attack that has proven difficult to stop in the season’s first two weeks. — UNION CITY.
WESTVIEW @ OBION CENTRAL — A pivotal game for both teams, the winner will have a legitimate shot at both a winning record and a possible playoff berth while the loser will face an uphill climb in those two quests. While maybe not in a ‘rebuilding’ mode, the Chargers are young and growing along the line — that area usually a strength of Don Coady-coached teams — and appear to lack a game-breaker in the fashion of many past Martin clubs. The Rebels, meanwhile, took a step forward offensively last week — minus a half-dozen turnovers that ultimately decided their fate — but still have tackling issues to fix. If wet field conditions become part of the equation, Central’s passing game shouldn’t be adversely affected, according to the theory that a team’s receivers usually have the advantage against a defense in those instances. That and the fact that OC’s season could be hanging in the balance will tip the scales — just barely — in the favor of — OBION CENTRAL.
In other games, it’ll be — Lake Co. over Greenfield, Huntingdon over Bruceton, West Carroll over Gleason, Dresden over McKenzie, Milan over Gibson Co., South Gibson over Ripley, Covington over Dyersburg, Crockett County over Haywood, Jackson Northside over Dyer County, Fulton City over Jackson Prep, Reidland over Fulton County, University School of Jackson over Rossville Christian Academy, Bolivar over Jackson South Side, Liberty over McNairy Central, Chester County over Jackson Central-Merry, Lexington over Fayette-Ware, Adamsville over Riverside, Hardin County over Munford, St. George’s over Jackson Christian School, Scotts Hill over Middleton and Fayette Academy over Tipton-Rosemark.
Published in The Messenger 8.30.12 |
|
Printer-friendly format
|
|
|
| Obits |
|
|
| Advertisments |
|
|
| RSS Support Feed |
|
|
|
