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| Hutchs Hit List — Hitman finish again inevitable |
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Posted: Thursday, October 18, 2012 7:00 pm
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Death.
Taxes.
The Hitman.
The paper’s practically-perfect prep pigskin prognosticator has truly emerged as one-and-the-same with life’s other inevitable sure-things.
With two weeks remaining in the regular season and on the heels of his second .900 showing in the past three Fridays, the game’s greatest gridiron guru appears certain again to shatter the once-coveted .800 mark.
Last week’s 22-2 (.917) effort brought the sensational sideline soothsayer’s seasonal sum to 173-32 (.844), all but ensuring a 26th consecutive season of eclipsing the standard by which other psychic seers are measured.
As predictable as a west sunset but without the dark cloud and dread of the other unavoidable conclusions, the awesome all-knowing augur gives his special assurances of this week’s games.
See you there.
SOUTH FULTON @ UNION CITY — Even with another late-season collapse and the talk of whether the Red Devils would truly be playoff-worthy with just four wins, SF still is in control of its own postseason fate. With a win here, the Hitman’s homeboys likely would still make it into a watered-down playoff field — though they’d have to sit through the fear of the unknown next week when results of other games would dictate their final standing. The Big Red can gain confidence in the fact that they have shown flashes of being a credible team against quality competition as evidenced by their first-half play against Lake County last week. And, there’s the notion that South Fulton could’ve very easily beaten the Tornadoes in each of their last two meetings instead of losing a four-point decision and another by two points. UC, meanwhile, is banking on the return of three previously-injured two-way starters returning to the lineup in some roles and a decided advantage the Purple and Gold will have in the trenches — especially with the Devils’ best lineman, Zack Vaughn, injured and out. Though a lock for the postseason, the Twisters still have plenty to play for as well, namely an automatic berth instead of a wild card entry that would give them a first-round bye. Having tried everything but voodoo in an attempt to motivate his troops, you can expect SF head coach Kelly Spivey to still empty out his trick bag of any and everything that could help the Redmen rid themselves of evil spirits associated with past Tornado teams. In the end, though, neither seance nor the gridiron gods will smile on SF. Dancing with the Devils instead, will be — UNION CITY.
HAYWOOD @ OBION CENTRAL — Though mathematically both of these two are still alive in the playoff hunt, their chances are a longshot at best. The Tomcats have actually showed some progress from a year ago when they won just once, beating Dyer County and scoring at a 30 ppg clip. Haywood’s athleticism is widespread — not a good thing for the Rebs, who’ve had season-long issues with tackling in space. OC, meanwhile, is limping toward the finish line after back-to-back lopsided losses vs. highly-ranked unbeaten opponents. Central has been its own worst enemy at times with costly turnovers and untimely penalties, a no-no especially against teams with quick-strike abilities such as the Tomcats. Motivation shouldn’t be an issue for a big group of Obion Central seniors playing their final game on their home turf and creating a memory that will be talked about at those 20- and 30-year class reunions. And hoping to be a sidenote in that conversation, here’s a chance to prove the Hitman wrong. — HAYWOOD.
In other games, it’ll be — Riverside over Greenfield, Trenton over Halls, Humboldt over Lake Co., Trinity Christian over Bruceton, Gleason over Scotts Hill, Adamsville over McKenzie, Westview over Gibson Co., Covington over Milan, South Gibson over Crockett Co., Dyersburg over Ripley, Trezevant over Dyer Co., JCS over Bishop Byrne, Jackson Northside over Millington, Liberty over JCM, Chester Co. over Jackson South Side, McNairy Co. over Fayette-Ware, Lexington over Bolivar, Camden over Stewart Co., Henry Co. over Dickson Co., Fulton Co. over Fulton City, Murray over Reidland and Mayfield over Russellville.
Published in The Messenger 10.18.12 |
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