Not a bad start to the forecast season. Last week the forecast went 7 for 9. Let’s get on to this week’s forecast and my attempt to pick the winners of the local (Within Floyd, Bartow, Polk, Chattooga, Gordon, and Walker Counties) high school football contests.

 

THIS WEEK’S PICKS (Bold Print Indicates Local Teams)

 

Thursday, August 25th

  • Chattooga @ Cedar Bluff (AL)

Chattooga travels west to the banks of the mighty Coosa River for a Thursday night showdown that is sure to bring a crowd to Cedar Bluff’s stadium. This will be a good night for the visiting Indians. Just under a week ago the Indians traveled to Fort Payne and left feeling pretty good about themselves after a 28-18 preseason win. Expect to see more of the same as Chattooga claims another victory across the state line.

Winner Forecast: Chattooga

 

Friday, August 26th

  • Rome @ Harrison

Rome travels to Kennesaw to visit Harrison. Rome High has no plans to be humble house guests. This should start out as a shootout. After a playoff run last season, the Wolves are ready to make a statement. This is a team that is getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Harrison, had an impressive win last week but will not enjoy this return trip home. Expect a lot of points from both sides… but more from Rome.

Winner Forecast: Rome

 

  • Coosa @ Coahulla Creek

Coosa takes their show to the road Friday night and is desperate to get things going in the right direction. It’s a good thing they are headed to the outskirts of Dalton. The Colts of Coahulla Creek should put up no fight against the visiting Eagles. Coosa should control both sides of the ball and come home happy.

Winner Forecast: Coosa

 

  • Model @ Sonoraville

Model and Sonoraville open their 2016 seasons with a showdown in Gordon County. Model’s mission will be to keep the Phoenix grounded. Model is coming off a 9 win season in 2015 and one of those wins was a close victory against Sonoraville. This time, the Blue Devils will score more than 9 points, but they will not score enough. Sonoraville starts strong and holds an exorcism. The Blue Devils will get cast back to Shannon with a loss.

Winner Forecast: Sonoraville

 

  • Ridgeland @ Pepperell

Ridgeland travels to Lindale after a big win against Adairsville last week. They hit the Tigers in the mouth last week and liked it. Pepperell is a proud program with something to prove. Last year’s records say the Dragons torch the Panthers. Last week’s domination of Adairsville combined with this being Pepperell’s first game of the season says the Panther’s pounce to a win. Will the home field play in Pepperell’s favor? Not this year.

Winner Forecast: Ridgeland

 

  • Armuchee @ Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe

Armuchee has won only 4 games since 2013 and is 0-1 to start 2016. LFO has won only 6 games in the same time and is also 0-1 to start 2016. These two programs need to get things going. Armuchee has the better coaching staff. Will it translate to a win on the road? Heck, someone has got to win. The Indians invade another reservation this week and bring home a win, but it won’t be pretty.

Winner Forecast: Armuchee

 

  • Southeast Whitfield @ Gordon Central

Southeast is not very good. They are 1-0, but last week’s win came in the form of a blowout at the expense of Coahulla Creek. Last year, Southeast destroyed Gordon Central 45-0. Don’t expect anything different. Gordon Central has one of the best football coaches around, but he can’t play the games for them. The not so good Raiders will continue to be too much for the home standing Warriors. Gordon Central falls… Again.

Winner Forecast: Southeast Whitfield

 

  • Calhoun @ Dalton

Calhoun gave Dalton a 28-7 defeat last year on River Street. This year the Yellow Jackets will take their stinger on the road and visit Historic Harmon Field. The Catamounts have a winning tradition that goes back eons (at least it seems like it) and it’s rare that they lose at home. So if is it rarities that you like to see, you may want to take the trip to the heart of Whitfield County Friday night. On the other hand, it is Calhoun, and what is rare about the defending state champs winning another regular season football game.

Winner Forecast: Calhoun

 

  • Cass @ Adairsville

This Bartow County matchup will bring some people out to the ball field. The Tigers are still licking their wounds from their road trip to Ridgeland last week. They need to find an offense and find it fast. They won’t find it with Cass on the field. The Colonels should take this game without having to draw their sword. Expect the Tigers to fall to 0-2 and the Colonels to start at 1-0.

Winner Forecast: Cass

 

  • Cedartown @ Rockmart

It’s back to friendly Polk County for these two teams this Friday night. Both went on a trip to Alabama and both performed well. Only Rockmart came home with a win, but Cedartown took the defending state champs (Piedmont High) to the limit. Will the Bulldogs come in deflated? If so, it will be a good night for the Yellow Jackets at The Rock. Otherwise, the Bulldogs have something to prove. This is a big game for the locals and it can go either way. Expect the streets to be empty Friday night between 7:00 and 10:00. Everyone will want to see this. The magic 8 Ball says, “All things point to Cedartown playing with a purpose.”

Forecast Winner: Cedartown

 

  • Trion @ LaFayette

Trion is back to playing football. LaFayette is back to playing at football. See the difference? The Bulldogs punched the Ramblers in the grill last year and did so in the shadow of the mill. Now they want to do it again a few miles up the highway. Though LaFayette won at Armuchee last week, they started very slow. If they start slow against Trion it will be a repeat of last year’s blowout.

Forecast Winner: Trion

 

  • Shiloh Hills Christian School @ Unity Christian School

Shiloh Hills makes the drive to Rome this weekend to build on last year’s success. Their win-loss record may not be exciting but they did lay claim to the region title. The Lions will have their hands full. The challengers like to score lots of points. Unity will have to play catch-up.

Forecast Winner: Shiloh Hills Christian School

 

Saturday, August 27th

  • Tennessee School for the Deaf @ Georgia School for the Deaf

GSD’s defense last year could not get off the field (unless it was right after giving up a score). They must fix this problem to get back to the glory days of GSD Football. The Tigers will travel to Knoxville to take on the Vikings. Do not expect the Vikings to slow down in this conference game. 8 Man Football… it’s not just for small town Texas folks.

Forecast Winner: Tennessee School for the Deaf

 

NEXT WEEK’S FORECAST (Bold Print Indicates Local Teams)

Thursday, September 1st 

                University of North Alabama @ #3 Jacksonville State University

                Shorter University @ #6 University of Tennessee – Chattanooga

Friday, September 2nd

Drew @ Rome

                Coosa @ North Murray

Adairsville @ Model

                Pepperell @ Pickens County

Dawson County @ Chattooga

                Cartersville @ Calhoun

                Sonoraville @ Cass

                Woodland @ Rockmart

                Cedartown @ Gilmer County

Darlington @ Ridgeland

Dade County @ Trion

                Unity Christian School @ New Creation Christian Academy

Saturday, September 3rd

East Tennessee State University @ Kennesaw State University