FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 11 PICKS — THREE VALLEY TEAMS IN PLAYOFF ACTION THIS WEEKEND (2023-11-03)

Postseason football is upon us, and three Valley teams will be in action this weekend — one at home, one on the road, and one at a neutral site.

Waverly hosts Susquehanna Valley tonight, while Athens is on the road at powerhouse Danville. Tioga squares off with Walton Saturday afternoon at Susquehanna Valley.

Rivalry week was not the best weekend for the VSR pigskin prognosticators. I had a 9-2 mark to lead the way, while The Mick and Little Red are 8-3, and Country Bob was 7-4. On the season, I have an 89-16 record, while The Mick is 86-19, Little Red is 83-22, and Country Bob is 82-23.

So, what does Week 11 have in store for us? Let’s see what the Pigskin Pickers have to say:

Susquehanna Valley (4-4) at Waverly (8-1): The Wolverines are coming off a 62-12 win over Oneonta, while the Sabers dropped a 38-14 decision to Schuyler.

The Wolverines are clicking on all cylinders, averaging more than 39 points per game on offense, and their defense has been equally dominant.

Prediction: Waverly won at SV, 42-12, earlier this season, and the Sabers are a little dinged up coming into this postseason match-up. … WAVERLY 56, SV 7.
The Mick: Waverly 44, SV 0. … Little Red: Waverly 55, SV 0. … Country Bob: Waverly 42, SV 0.

Tioga (9-0) vs. Walton (5-3) @ Susquehanna Valley H.S. (Saturday): The Tigers are coming off a 63-6 win over Newark Valley, while the Warriors blanked Harpursville-Afton, 46-0.

Since a 23-17 overtime win at Waverly, Tioga has outscored its opponents 58.1 to 7.9 points per game, including a 55-8 win over Walton in Week 5.

Prediction: Tioga has been playing with surgical precision on offense, and Saturday will be no different. … TIOGA 62, WALTON 12.
The Mick: Tioga 47, Walton 12. … Little Red: Tioga 48, Walton 12. … Country Bob: Tioga 56, Walton 6.

Athens (3-7) at Danville (9-1): The Wildcats are coming off a 42-14 win at Sayre, while the Ironmen rolled to a 52-20 victory over Executive Education Academy Charter School.

Danville is seeking its fourth straight District 4 title, and has been an offensive juggernaut, scoring 42 points per game. Athens has shown flashes of what it could become, but hasn’t faced a team like Danville.

Prediction: Athens had a senior-laden team last year, and dropped a 43-0 decision at Danville in the Class 3A semifinals … that’s not a good sign for this young Wildcat squad. … DANVILLE 56, ATHENS 0.
The Mick: Danville 64, Athens 0. … Little Red: Danville 63, Athens 0. …  Country Bob: Danville 63, Athens 0.

Hughesville (3-7) at Troy (10-0) (Saturday): The Trojans are coming off a 52-0 win over Canton, while the Spartans dropped a 28-22 decision at Muncy.

Prediction: The Trojans have been dominant on both sides of the ball, outscoring their opponents by an average of 48 to 6 this season. … TROY 60, HUGHESVILLE 6.
The Mick: Troy 52, Hughesville 6. … Little Red: Troy 49, Hughesville 0. … Country Bob: Troy 42, Hughesville 0.

Towanda (6-4) at Line Mountain (8-2): The Black Knights are coming off a 15-14 loss at Wyalusing, while Line Mountain blanked Upper Dauphin, 35-0.

Prediction: Line Mountain has won seven in a row. They will make it eight in a row. … LINE MOUNTAIN 31, TOWANDA 14.
The Mick: Line Mountain 24, Towanda 14. … Little Red: Line Mountain 35, Towanda 7. … Country Bob: Line Mountain 35, Towanda 6.

Wyalusing (6-4) at Mount Carmel (8-2) (Saturday): The Rams are coming off a 15-14 win over arch-rival Towanda, while the Red Tornadoes topped Shamokin, 40-13.

Prediction: Mount Carmel beat Southern Columbia, 42-30, three weeks ago, and will get a rematch next week with a win. … MOUNT CARMEL 42, WYALUSING 13.
The Mick: Mount Carmel 42, Wyalusing 7. … Little Red: Mount Carmel 50, Wyalusing 0. … Country Bob: Mount Carmel 48, Wyalusing 0.

North Penn-Mansfield (4-6) and Southern Columbia (9-1) (Saturday): The NP-M Tigers are coming off a 21-6 win over Wellsboro, while the Southern Columbia Tigers thumped Shikellamy, 55-6.

Prediction: Southern Columbia has its sights set on a rematch with Mount Carmel, which handed the Tigers their only loss of the season, and Wyalusing appears to be collateral damage. … SOUTHERN COLUMBIA 66, NP-M 6.
The Mick: Southern Columbia 62, NP-M 7. … Little Red: Southern Columbia 56, NP-M 0. … Country Bob: Southern Columbia 55, NP-M 0.

Owego (4-4) at Windsor (7-2): The River Hawks are coming off a 40-8 win over winless Chenango Valley, while the Black Knights topped Johnson City, 42-20.

Prediction: Owego played Windsor close in a 12-7 loss in the rain three weeks ago. Better weather could play in Windsor’s favor. … WINDSOR 27, OWEGO 6.
The Mick: Owego 21, Windsor 16. … Little Red: Windsor 42, Owego 14. … Country Bob: Windsor 21, Owego 20.

Newark Valley vs. Delhi at Susquehanna Valley H.S. (Saturday): The Cardinals are coming off a 63-6 loss at Tioga, while the Bulldogs rolled over Deposit-Hancock, 49-7.

Prediction: Delhi is riding a five-game win streak, including a 21-14 win at Newark Valley last week. The Bulldogs have the ability to score quickly, and better weather than the rainy Saturday afternoon at Newark Valley should play to their favor. … DELHI 27, NEWARK VALLEY 12.
The Mick: Delhi 45, NV 7. … Little Red: Delhi 21, NV 7. … Country Bob: Delhi 28, NV 14.

Cowanesque Valley (5-5) at Loyalsock (7-3) (Saturday): The Indians are coming off a 20-6 loss to Coudersport, while the Lancers thumped Montoursville, 43-14.

Prediction: Cowanesque Valley has been a nice story this season, but Loyalsock is on a different level. … LOYALSOCK 48, CV 20.
The Mick: Loyalsock 46, CV 14. … Little Red: Loyalsock 42, CV 0. … Country Bob: Loyalsock 41, CV 6.