Playing devil’s advocate has its merits. Just not when it comes to picking high school football games, apparently.
For the first week of the epic, season-long Northwest Missouri Pick ’Em battle between myself and assistant sports editor Ross Martin, I fell into a classic trap. Instead of using logic and common sense when selecting my teams, I resorted to 'Why nots’ and feel-good story lines. For example:
— Uber-coach Fred Bouchard could win Staley’s inaugural game, right?
— On that same thought, how cool would it be if Harrisonville kept Bouchard’s win streak alive the same night?
— And doesn’t St. Pius X's Rick Byers always find a way to pull out a tough win on the road?
No, not so much and not always, as it turns out. Instead, I just dug myself into a slightly troubling hole by the end of Week 1. At least Ross proved he’s prone to the occasional error with his Warsaw selection — based solely on the success of former heavyweight wrestling star John Steenburgen. Don't ask.
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to gain any ground this week, as we each selected the same 10 teams to come away victorious. But I’m sticking to logic and favorites this time around:
Hutchinson KS (0-0) at Rockhurst (1-0) — Andy: Rockhurst; Ross: Rockhurst
Fort Osage (1-0) at Kearney (1-0) — Andy: Kearney; Ross: Kearney
Lawson (1-0) at West Platte (1-0) — Andy: Lawson; Ross: Lawson
Odessa (1-0) at Chillicothe (1-0) — Andy: Chilli; Ross: Chilli
Raymore Peculiar (1-0) at Liberty (1-0) — Andy: Liberty; Ross: Liberty
North Platte (1-0) at Maysville (1-0) — Andy: Maysville; Ross: Maysville
Holden (1-0) at Richmond (0-1) — Andy: Holden; Ross: Holden
Belton (1-0) at Oak Park (1-0) — Andy: Belton; Ross: Belton
Oak Grove (1-0) at O’Hara (1-0) — Andy: O'Hara; Ross: O'Hara
Blue Springs South (0-1) at Park Hill (1-0) — Andy: BSS; Ross: BSS
All three local games should be competitive, while we both like a salty yet unquantified North Platte team against Maysville — a bit more established thanks to winning trip to the playoffs last year but still gaining experience. That should be the one to watch in the area this week.
Thanks, as always, go out to Mosports.com maven Shamp for selecting the weekly matchups.
Year-to-date standings (after Week 1)
Ross 9-1, Andy 6-4