FOOTBALL PICKS: Hoping to keep my picks for ’24 perfect in Week 1
Summer has come and gone.
School is back in session.
The “new” has probably worn off the students’ school supplies and clothes that were bought during the recent tax-free weekend.
Something that hasn’t worn off yet is that idealistic optimism nearly every team and player has before the beginning of high school football season.
There’s still a “0” in the loss column for everybody.
No one on offense has fumbled the ball or thrown an interception or missed a block or run the wrong route when it counted.
On defense, no one has missed a tackle, missed an assignment or broke their ankles trying to stop the juking running back coming at them.
Everything is perfect now … including me and my picks.
I haven’t missed a single pick for all of 2024, and we’re nearly done with the eighth month out of 12.
But Aug. 22/23 is the time when all of that gets wrecked for a lot of people.
Offensive players will drop the ball.
Defensive players will miss the tackle.
It’s not a matter of “if’ but when, because every team will experience it – multiple times a game.
Mistakes happen. It’s a part of life.
But hopefully not for me. I sit down to my laptop each week during the season, look at the list of four to seven games that happen each week involving Madison County teams, and I am hopeful that I will finish the season having not missed a pick.
No one has ever done it (except for the people who don’t reveal their picks until December, so you get to track if I’m telling the truth when I say I’m perfect. And right now, my statement of perfection as honest as my 3-year-old when he let me know last week that I can’t sing when he told me to turn the radio in our van on.
But I also remember Week 1 last year when I went a cool 0-for-6 and did not pick a single winner at all. So yes … leave me alone while I celebrate my perfection for now.
Hoping for continued perfection this week, here are the picks:
JCM 24, Liberty 7: The Cougars shut the Crusaders out last year in a strong showing and are ahead of Liberty this year. Add to the mix the fact that they’re playing in JCM’s old stomping grounds at Lane Field, and that might give JCM a little more motivation to come out strong early. Cougars do come out strong and frustrate the Crusaders.
North Side 21, Crockett Co. 14: This one is a tough pick because both teams return a lot, but Crockett has apparently had some instability in its fieldhouse in recent weeks with a couple of starters quitting according to various reports and posts on social media from players. If there’s anything to the internal unrest, that could be a good thing for the Indians and give them the chance to start with a win at home.
Peabody 31, USJ 17: The Bruins have some quality players on their roster and more will grow in quality as the season progresses, but last year’s victory for the Bruins was over a young team full of players in key positions getting their first snaps on Friday night. Peabody is a much larger team – physically and in roster size – than USJ and brings back the experience of having to win to make the playoffs and then upsetting a region champion in the first round.
Northpoint 35, Jackson Christian 28: The Eagles have what they need to win this game, and they’re capable of going undefeated in the regular season this year based on what they did accomplish last year and who all they have coming back. The one question mark for me is how will Jay’Len Mosley do in his first game back from injury taking hits. It won’t shock me one bit if it’s nothing out of the ordinary for him because he seems to be the type of guy that’s good at keeping things in perspective and not getting too high or low about anything that happens. While there is a lot coming back, there are new guys in key places too, and one mistake by one of them could be the difference in a matchup of two good teams.
TCA 35, Chester Co. 21: The Lions needed a big comeback after a slow start in this game last year to get a win but outscored the Eagles 27-7 after the first quarter. They should probably do the opposite of that tonight. With fewer than 30 players on the roster, conditioning late in the game could become a key factor in a number of games this season. So if they can get a lead early and control the clock, that would be a big help for them. Considering what they Lions have back and what the Eagles lost, that’s an attainable goal.
South Side 19, Ripley 13: This may be my biggest gamble, but Ripley had a lot of seniors on last year’s team that made the playoffs while South Side was trying to find its identity in its first game with a new coach this time last year. The Hawks have a great opportunity to show some improvement early and get off to a good start.
Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news
