Dear Warsaw,
Please beat Plymouth.
Sincerely,
Everybody everywhere

Ouch. Last week was rough for the majority of our local teams and myself. I salvaged two picks but dropped the other three. The only way to make myself feel better is to rant about something.

So, before I get to this weeks picks (which include college games!)…

I want to sound off about fans, mainly the mouthy ones that don’t seem to know the difference between the bleachers at a high school event from the bleachers at Wrigley Field.

To those fans, shut up.

No, really, shut up. Nobody cares what it is that you think your kid or any other kid on the court/field/course should be doing.

I’m not a person that thinks every kid should get a trophy or should be given a pass every time they make a mistake, but I also see zero benefit in having negative reinforcement from the bleachers.
Don’t yell at the officials, what good will it do you? Has any fan ever benefited from this?

Now you’re yelling at the coaches, right? Good job. That’s the route to take because, you know, they really care about your opinion. I bet their whole game plan will change because the parent stuffing his or her face with popcorn and Diet Coke is upset.

Oh wait, you’re done with the coaches and now you’re one of those special, select few fans that yells at the players? Well, aren’t you a peach? In what world do you think it makes sense to yell anything negative towards a high school athlete?

Those parents are out there. I’ve already seen/heard them on multiple occasions this season. You know who you are.

So I beg of you, unruly fans and/or parents, shut up.

Whew, I feel better now.

Okay, for those of you wondering how the wedding went last week, it was a huge success. That was mainly due to my dancing and to me knocking my best man speech out of the park. But, it was also successful because we were able to be in the presence of true love and blah, blah blah, something mushy like that.

I’m not showing a lot of love for local team this week, but as the title insists, “Please prove me wrong.”

Last Week: 2-3
Overall: 7-5

High School Football 9/4

Tippecanoe Valley (0-2) at North Miami (0-2), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: Valley is right there. Right there. The Vikings are just a few tweaks away from getting into the win column. Brandon Webster nearly willed the team to a win last week with a pick six and a receiving score, but it just wasn’t enough. I told QB Alec Craig to score twice last week, he scored once. That tells me he was saving the other score for this week.
I have no idea where the Valley team will end up with its record by the end of the season, but the TRC is there for the taking. I’ve got faith in the Vikings this week to get things rolling. Garrett Bell is going to double his production from last week (53 yards) to help Valley get the win. Brandon, another pick six certainly won’t hurt…
Nick’s Pick: Valley 27, North Miami 9.

Maconaquah (2-0) at Whitko (1-1), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: Whitko lost a tough game to Columbia City last week, 10-8. It’s one of those losses you just have to put behind you and move on. The Wildcats have had great success in TRC play in recent years and I expect that to continue this season. But the TRC has some new faces, Maconaquah being one of them. The Braves are coming off back-to-back winning seasons, a rarity for the program. They also do not appear to have missed a step despite graduating some key players.
Defense will play a big role in this contest, whoever can break through and score first might hold the edge for the rest of the game. Both teams have had big offensive games and lousy offensive games so far. This game will really show the true colors of one of these squads.
Nick’s Pick: Maconaquah 17, Whitko 10.

No. 2 Plymouth (2-0) at Warsaw (1-1), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: I hate looking like a fool. I really do. No. 2 (4A) is rolling into Tiger Town tonight and there are just so many thoughts running through my mind because I have this feeling that something really great could happen.
I keep telling myself that there is only one true way to beat this very talented Plymouth team and it just so happens that Warsaw is capable of doing it.
Plymouth is a machine. The Rockies run a system and they run it very well. They punch you right in the mouth then run you over while you try to figure out what just happened and before you know it, a game you thought you were in ends up being 41-6 advantage Big Red.
So, if you want to beat the Rockies, you have to make them uncomfortable.
The only way to do that is to make them play catch up. Warsaw has the talent to do that. Michael Jensen and Riley Rhoades will have to channel something deep down inside to make this game interesting, but it can be done. I watched Gage Reinhard and Clayton Cook tear apart another top-five Plymouth team in 2013 by playing pitch and catch while the Rockies were left, well, playing catch up. It will take a heck of a game out Jensen, Rhoades, Dylan Childers (Oh, Dylan, this can be your night, my friend) and every other Tiger player, fan and coach, but it can be done.
I hate looking like a fool. I really do. But I’ll eat the crow and enjoy every bit of it next week if the Tigers give me no other choice.
Nick’s Pick: Plymouth 20, Warsaw 10.

Triton (1-1) at No. 3 Pioneer (2-0), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: There are benefits to playing in a new conference and then there are some downfalls. Playing class 1A’s No. 3 team is a definite downfall.
The Trojans took one on the chin last week and I really want to be positive but this will be another learning experience for Triton.
Pioneer has yet to allow a point this season, beating Lewis Cass 50-0 and Winamac 37-0. I think Triton will score, but I don’t think the Trojans will be able to score enough and that, well, that’s a problem.
If the Trojans can find a way to slow down Panther QB Sam Kiser, then the game could get interesting. But, nobody has been able to figure out how to slow down Kiser in two seasons, so…
Nick’s Pick: Pioneer 38, Triton 8.

Wawasee (2-0) at No. 6 Northridge (2-0), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: Well, judging by everything I’ve seen so far, I have no idea what this game holds. *drops head in disgust*
Both teams have had solid starts to their respective seasons, but both teams have played opponents that aren’t great measuring sticks.
The Warriors will still need to answer a lot of questions on offense. They’ve ran the new system well, but the NLC is a step up from West Noble and Griffith.
I sound like a broken record with these Wawasee games, but the defense is going to be key here again. Yes, the Warriors will need to run the ball in order to win, but if they can’t stop Ridge (like last year) then it could get ugly. Wawasee is confident, and I have no doubts that Northridge is as well. But, this is a “prove it” game. Win this week and a ton of opportunities will present themselves for the rest of the year. It’s the first big test of the season, both teams need this win to take on the rest of the NLC gauntlet. Northridge has the benefit of the doubt this week and that’s why I’m taking the Raiders in what should be a great game. Just like the Warsaw game, I’d love to eat some crow next week, Warriors.
I racked my brain all week on what kind of encouraging words to throw to my alma mater going into this game, then it hit me, 55-0. Remember that, Warriors? I sure do. How far have you come since then? I guess we’ll find out.
Nick’s Pick: Northridge 23, Wawasee 15.

College Football 9/5 (Sorry for the lack of depth on these college games, just too many unknowns in week one!)

Purdue at Marshall, 3 p.m.
The Scoop: I saw an article that predicted an “upset” for Purdue in this game. So, now Purdue’s program has fallen to be a sexy upset pick against a Conference USA team. Yes, Purdue fans, this is what IU fans experience in the fall.
The Austin Appleby era can officially begin as he will start the season at QB for the Boilermakers. Appleby saw some time last year and impressed. My guess is that he is either Kyle Orton or Danny Etling when all is said and done with his Purdue career. If you don’t know what I mean by that, it’s okay. Purdue fans know what I mean becau— Never mind, all of the Purdue fans are lining up outside of Mackey Arena to get tickets for hoops season. Hey, guys, there is a football game this weekend! Guys! Guys?
Nick’s Pick: Purdue 34, Marshall 25.

Southern Illinois at Indiana, 4 p.m.
The Scoop: I cannot wait until the Big Ten stops having its teams schedule FCS school like SIU, Indiana State and so on. Do you know how stressful it is for us IU fans to look at the schedule year in and year out and point to games like this and say, “Well, that’s a win. Er, I think. Was SIU any good last year? They should beat them at home, right? Yeah, they’ll be good. So, that’s at least one win.”
I’d rather just look at IU’s schedule and say, “Oh we play West Virginia this year? That’s neat. I hope we score.”
These are actual things that go through my head as IU football fan. Judge me is you want.
Could be an interesting season for the Hoosiers, but anything but a big win here won’t look good moving forward.
Nick’s Pick: Indiana 41, So. Illinois 17.

Texas at No. 11 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.
The Scoop: A lot of people are getting behind the Irish this season. Sports Illustrated even picked ND to make the playoffs. That may very well happen, but this game could derail everything for the Irish. I think opening day hype will be enough to propel ND to win here, but Texas could certainly spoil this primetime celebration.
The biggest reason I’m going with the Irish here is Malik Zaire. He is the starting QB and there is nobody around to take that from him. I hated Brian Kelly’s two-QB system and believe that Zaire will do some good things this season.
I’m picking the Irish to win because I have tickets and will be pretty expletive upset if I spend $125 on a lousy performance!
Nick’s Pick: Notre Dame 28, Texas 20.