ETBLITZ POWER PICKS! | Week one of the Texas high school playoffs; KC-TJC; ‘Horns vs. ‘Hogs; Cowboys-Texans on Monday night
The playoffs?
Yep.
It’s time.
So hard to believe. Time goes by so quick.
But they’re here.
Kilgore-Vidor in “big” 4A. Gilmer vs. center in the smaller. Kilgore gets a home playoff game, and Gilmer and Center meet in Tatum.
Speaking of Tatum, the Eagles get a tough challenge Thursday night in Tyler. They’ll try to knock off a Malakoff team that hasn’t lost since Dec. 8, 2022, to Brock. Malakoff’s Tigers are 26-0 over the last two seasons, including the 3A-Division I title last year.
Overton also plays Thursday night, a 2A, Division II game in San Augustine against Evadale. And good luck to Evadale slowing down that Overton offense.
Also Friday, at three different sites, the 3A-DII playoffs involving three ETBlitz.com-area schools: Troup vs. Anderson-Shiro in Crockett; West Rusk vs. Newton at Diboll; and Arp-Woodville in Rusk.
All of this, and Kilgore College going back to face Tyler for the second time this year, this one for keeps: it’s a Southwest Junior College Football Conference playoff game, a 3 p.m. kickoff at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium. Winner moves on to the conference title game next Saturday; for the loser, it’s bye-bye, 2024 season.
So much is going on this weekend.
We love it. And you do, too.
THE PANEL
Let’s introduce the panel now, although I’ll keep it brief this week: I figure most of you have kept up with this at this point, since we’re to the first weekend of the playoffs.
Photographers and videographers are well represented on this panel: Ronnie Sartors, whose camera is like a fifth appendage; Alex Nabor, a student at Kilgore College and maybe the best sports photographer under 21 in the whole wide world; Dennis Jacobs, the world’s nicest person – and a very good photographer, also a teacher in the Kilgore school district; my wife, Jenna, who is our executive editor, our chief financial officer, and also a good photographer in her own right; and my son, Jacob, whose major at the University of Alabama is Creative Media (he actually does video work alongside several Alabama athletes, working with the athletic department.
Then there’s Joe Hale, the veteran sportswriter who’s seen just about everything in about four and a half decades on the job; Clayton Fletcher, our assistant editor who never saw an upset in print that he didn’t like to see happen; Dereck Borders, my best friend who just became a granddad for the second time, and is about to give the bride away this weekend: his daughter, Sydni, is marrying rodeo standout Bodee Lammers; my daughter, Ashtyn, a KC student, a dancer, a dance teacher and out to beat Jacob in this contest in any way possible; and of course, myself, who honestly should have won this thing several more times over the years than I’ve actually won it.
THE STANDINGS, AND LAST WEEK’S RESULTS
Joe’s 19-2 record two weeks ago, and a 16-5 pretty solid record last weekend, are allowing him to pull away from the group. No offense, Joe, but you need a bad week of picks! Just kidding (not really).
Anyway, Joe is 174-59 on the season – that’s 233 games’ worth of picks.
Ashtyn is in second, but she’s a distant second, behind now nine games (165-68).
Dereck is in third, with a 162-71 mark, and Clayton and I are tied for fourth, each with 156 wins and 77 losses.
Jacob is up next, in fifth with a record of 154-79, followed by Dennis and Ronnie, each with 151 wins – Dennis is 151-82, Ronnie is 151-72, because he came into the Power Picks grid a little late.
Alex is 144-89, and Jenna is 141-92.
Last week, it was Jacob with the best record, going 17-4. Joe, as mentioned, went 16-5, and Dereck and myself each went 15-6.
Ashtyn, Dennis, Clayton and Ronnie all each went 14-7; Jenna was 13-8; and Alex, 12-9.
THE GAMES
Here are this week’s picks. If you’re playing along on the Cyclone Stampede contest, you’ll find them in there, too. Here’s this week’s games, followed by our picks grid. And I say this every week, but don’t be personally offended if the bulk of us, or even one of us, has picked against your team. I assure you, it’s not personal; we all have our team picked against from time to time. We’re simply doing our best to pick who will win. It’s all for fun, not to be taken too seriously.
Unless, of course, you’re trying to win the Cyclone Stampede. 😊
ETBLITZ.COM POWER PICKS!
Thursday, November 14-Monday, November 18, 2024
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Malakoff (10-0) vs. Tatum (6-4), 7 p.m., Thursday, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium, Tyler.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Troup (7-3) vs. Anderson-Shiro (8-2), 7 p.m., Friday, Monte Jack Driskell Stadium, Crockett
Woodville (8-2) vs. Arp (7-3), 7 p.m., Friday, Eagle Stadium, Rusk
Newton (7-3) vs. West Rusk (4-6), 7 p.m., Friday, Lumberjack Stadium, Diboll
Overton (8-2) vs. Evadale (7-3), 7 p.m., Thursday, Wolf Stadium, San Augustine
Gilmer (7-3) vs. Center (8-2), 7 p.m., Friday, Eagle Stadium, Tatum
Vidor (5-5) at Kilgore (8-2), 7:30 p.m., Friday, R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium
COLLEGE GAMES
SATURDAY’S GAMES
No. 3 Texas (8-1) at Arkansas (5-4), 11 a.m., ABC
Boston College (5-4) at No. 14 SMU (8-1), 2:30 p.m., ESPN
New Mexico State (2-7) at No. 15 Texas A&M (7-2), 6:45 p.m., SEC Network
Baylor (5-4) at West Virginia (5-4), 3 p.m., ESPN2
No. 7 Tennessee (8-1) at No. 12 Georgia (7-2), 6:30 p.m., ABC
No. 1 Oregon (10-0) at Wisconsin (5-4), 6:30 p.m., NBC
NFL GAMES
Washington (7-3) at Philadelphia (7-2), 7:15 p.m. Amazon Prime Video
SUNDAY’S GAMES
Baltimore (7-3) at Pittsburgh (7-2), noon, CBS
Green Bay (6-3) at Chicago(4-5), noon, FOX
Atlanta (6-4) at Denver (5-5), 3:05 p.m., FOX
Kansas City (9-0) at Buffalo (8-2), 3:25 p.m., CBS
Cincinnati (4-6) at L.A. Chargers (6-3), 7:20 p.m., NBC
MONDAY’S GAME
Houston (6-4) at Dallas (3-6), 7:15 p.m., ABC & ESPN
| MITCH | DENNIS | JOE | DERECK | JENNA | JACOB | ASHTYN | ALEX | CLAYTON | RONNIE |
| Malakoff | Malakoff | Malakoff | Malakoff | Tatum | Malakoff | Malakoff | Tatum | Tatum | Malakoff |
| Troup | Troup | Troup | A. Shiro | Troup | A. Shiro | A. Shiro | A. Shiro | Troup | Troup |
| Arp | Woodville | Woodville | Woodville | Arp | Arp | Woodville | Woodville | Arp | Woodville |
| West Rusk | Newton | Newton | Newton | West Rusk | Newton | Newton | Newton | Newton | Newton |
| Overton | Overton | Overton | Overton | Overton | Overton | Overton | Overton | Overton | Overton |
| Gilmer | Gilmer | Gilmer | Gilmer | Gilmer | Gilmer | Gilmer | Center | Gilmer | Gilmer |
| Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore |
| KC | KC | KC | KC | KC | KC | KC | KC | KC | KC |
| Texas | Texas | Texas | Texas | Texas | Texas | Texas | Texas | Texas | Texas |
| SMU | SMU | SMU | SMU | SMU | SMU | SMU | SMU | SMU | SMU |
| A&M | A&M | A&M | A&M | A&M | A&M | A&M | A&M | A&M | A&M |
| W. Virginia | W. Virginia | W. Virginia | W. Virginia | Baylor | W. Virginia | Baylor | Baylor | Baylor | W. Virginia |
| Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Tennessee | Georgia | Georgia | Tennessee | Tennessee | Tennessee |
| Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon |
| Philly | Philly | Philly | Philly | Philly | Philly | Washington | Washington | Washington | Philly |
| Baltimore | Baltimore | Baltimore | Baltimore | Pittsburgh | Baltimore | Baltimore | Baltimore | Baltimore | Pittsburgh |
| Green Bay | Chicago | Green Bay | Green Bay | Green Bay | Green Bay | Green Bay | Green Bay | Green Bay | Green Bay |
| Denver | Atlanta | Denver | Atlanta | Atlanta | Denver | Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta |
| Buffalo | Buffalo | Buffalo | K. City | K. City | Buffalo | K. City | Buffalo | K. City | Buffalo |
| L.A. | L.A. | L.A. | L.A. | L.A. | L.A. | L.A. | L.A. | L.A. | L.A. |
| Houston | Dallas | Houston | Houston | Houston | Houston | Houston | Houston | Houston | Dallas |