From the
Upper Deck
Upsets Abound
As Week Five Approaches
By Jim Steele
steele@mckenziebanner.com |
| |
|
 |
With 40 percent of the football season gone, it's a
safe bet that I won't be headed to Tunica anytime soon.I might not even spare a buck or two for the Powerball.
Even in the college and pro ranks, it's tough to get a
gauge regarding how good and bad teams are. So, I'll
offer some remarks which will give you (two or three)
readers some insight into what's going on in my
(twisted) mind.
First of all, McKenzie's football team wasn't the
prettiest thing at last week's homecoming dance, but it
cut a decent rug out of Rebel Field at Adamsville's
expense. For the second week in a row, the Rebels gave a
somewhat flat performance and still dominated.
Huntingdon had its first big test and passed with flying
colors, defeating Chester County in Henderson by three
TDs.
West Carroll celebrated its homecoming with a convincing
win over Gleason and positioned itself for a potential
showdown with South Fulton for the region lead. But
don't overlook the Tigers at Hollow Rock-Bruceton. They
may be in a bit of a hole at the moment, but this could
be an interesting team to watch in November.
Second, I'm still not sure what to make of Tennessee's
effort at Florida. Is Tennessee actually a real team, or
has Florida tumbled back to the ranks of the mediocre,
where it tormented me back in the days when I was
actually a Gator fan (ask some of the kids I went to
school with, they'll tell you).
Florida could lose seven games this year. Georgia looks
vulnerable. Suddenly those dreaded remaining road games
to Auburn, Alabama and Miami seem somewhat winnable. I'm
glad that the Vols don't have any more Mid-America
Conference teams on its docket.
Last, but not least, I correctly mentioned that Bethel
would provide Lambuth all it wanted and more in this
corner of the paper. The Eagles won 24-14 over the
visiting Wildcats. That's better than the lopsided
scores of the past.
Lambuth was in Bethel's shoes not too long ago. It was a
small basketball school that decided to add football to
its menu. After taking its lumps, it got better. Soon,
it developed into a national NAIA power and has
generated some interest in NFL scouts.
Bethel is climbing that ladder. It is 0-4 at the moment,
but could easily be 3-1. And if you took a poll of the
Wildcat players, I'd wager that everyone of them would
like to start over again, even with the trip to Nicholls
State. This is a good team. It just doesn't know it yet.
Head coach Dino Kaklis has developed a good squad and
scheme with his assistants. This team is going to make
some teams very miserable as the season goes along. Look
at the lineup and see how many freshmen start. This is a
young team that needs time to develop. If these kids can
work hard, do the work in the classroom and keep Kaklis
from having to recruit 80 new kids every year, Bethel,
too, can be a national contender.
All the Wildcats need is confidence and maturity. I keep
saying it: this is a fun team to watch.
Something that was hard to watch last week was my (lack
of) prescience. Your weekly pigskin prevaricator, er,
prognosticator went 18 of 24 last week, bringing my
yearly total to 74 of 91. That's 81.3 percent. Not bad,
but improvement will be welcomed. Here's to this week's
fare:
McKenzie over Trenton: As head coach Wade Comer insists,
the competition gets keener from here on. The Rebels
still beat the Tide.
Huntingdon over Westview: The Chargers are off to their
worst start since 1986.
West Carroll over Perry County: This will be an
important victory for the War Eagles over a very good
Viking team.
Camden over Bruceton: The Lions are playing with a bit
more confidence than the Tigers these days. But it could
be close.
Trinity over Gleason: TCA is playing very well at the
moment.
Bethel over Pikeville: Call me kooky, but this is my
upset special for the week.
Tennessee over South Carolina: The Vols had better not
be living in the past when they play Lou Holtz and the
Gamecocks.
Elsewhere I see:
Middleton over Lighthouse, Fayette Academy over Halls,
Lake Co. over Catholic, Greenfield over Adamsville,
Milan over JCM, Dresden over South Fulton, Bolivar over
Humboldt, Crockett Co. over Manassas, South Side over
Liberty, Lexington over Kingsbury, Haywood over
Fayette-Ware, Hardin Co. over McNairy, Chester Co. over
Dyer Co., Obion over Union City, Ripley over Treadwell,
Gibson Co. over St. Benedict, Memphis-South Side over
Brighton, Covington over Munford, North Side over USJ,
McGavock over Henry Co. |
