High School Football Predictions

I’ll never forget the exchange of conversations I had with a Gwinnett County football coach several years ago when I worked for a pictures-and-words outfit out of Atlanta (I think they’re in Dunwoody now).

“Scott,” the coach said of the weekly high school football prediction column I wrote. “Don’t pick us this week. You jinxed us last time.”

Sure enough, that happened, although I wouldn’t call it a jinx. I picked his team to win the week before against an inferior team, and the coach’s team played spectacularly awful and lost. His team’s inability to hold onto the ball had more to do with it than what I wrote.

OK, I said to the coach. Why not? It was an important game and I could be the bad guy and pick against his team. Result? His team won. He called to say thanks.

I then picked his team to win the next several games.

Later in the season, before another important game that could determine the region championship, I picked against his team again — this time, I meant it.

I talked to him the day the column ran.

“Scott, you picked against us? C’mon,” he joked, adding that his team was on a roll and could’ve used the extra boost of confidence for the big game. The conversation was light-hearted, but I could tell he would have preferred a pick for his team.

“Hey, just tell them to prove me wrong,” I joked back.

Result? A resounding victory.

So, here we go again for another week of football predictions.  Last week, I was 21-3 in picking games for 12 Patch sites in four counties.

Will I jinx your team, or bring it good luck? You pick.

Lambert at Chattahoochee: It may be too early to say a matchup is the game of the week in any region, but this one is a doozy. The two top Region 7-AAAA teams from last year meet Friday (8 p.m., GPB) in a game that could determine the region title when it’s all said and done. Since every team plays 10 region games, every one in important. Lambert was impressive in a 28-7 win over Northwest Whitfield last week. This is the season opener for Chattahoochee, the defending Class AAAA state champion, which lost to Milton 29-27 three weeks ago in a scrimmage. The Cougars need to replace several graduated players, including QB Timmy Byerly, the state player of the year in 2010. This has all the looks of an upset, but we just can’t pull the trigger on that one. Chattahoochee 31, Lambert 28.

Northview at Duluth: Somebody’s going to be 2-0 in this clash of traditional also-rans. Northview beat Meadowcreek 35-0 last week; Duluth went back-and-forth with Archer in a 28-24 win. The same scenario applied last year, when Duluth beat Northview 24-14 after the teams entered the game 1-0. History has a way of repeating in high school football. Duluth 35, Northview 21.

Johns Creek at Sequoyah: The Gladiators were record-breakers in last week’s 38-17 win over Rome, an important step in the young program’s history. A 2-0 start would be another big step as Johns Creek looks to challenge the top of the 7-AAAA standings. Sequoyah is 0-1 following a  24-14 loss to Creekview last week. The Glads look hot right now. Johns Creek 27, Sequoyah 21.

Mt. Pisgah at River Ridge: Mt. Pisgah, a 35-0 winner over Cross Keys week, looks to go 2-0 with a win in River Ridge’s season opener. That sounds about right. Mt. Pisgah 33, River Ridge 6.

Scott Bernarde is Associate Regional Editor for 12 Patch sites in DeKalb, Gwinnett, Fulton and Forsyth counties.