Chris Whitfield: Players’ ages present pick challenges

I’ve always said that being a high school football coach is one of the hardest jobs in the world. How would you like it if the measurement of your success depended on the actions of 15-, 16- and 17-year-old kids?

Much the same can be said of a picker. Over my career, I have had about an 85 percent success rate at picking high school games. My selections are based on the actions of teenagers, and we all know how dependable and reliable they can be. Right? Right?!?!?!

OK, maybe not so much. Well, at least that’s the logic that I am using for my record last week. I was 3-for-5 in my first week of picking Northwest Georgia games, which isn’t so bad if it had been my Major League debut, but a 60 percent picking rate won’t mean much over the course of a year, and it certainly won’t impress anyone.

You teenagers need to start listening to your Uncle Whit and deliver when I pick you to win.

That being said, on the year I am 3-2. Ahhh, but today is a new day, so let’s pick some of the area’s most intriguing matchups. The peerless prep pigskin prognosticator is seeking perfection and the crystal ball is all shined up and ready to go!

• Dalton at Murray County (Game of the Week): Dalton didn’t look horrible last week. Despite some reports on the internet, the Catamounts were not the worst prepared team since the Great Depression, nor did they resemble the Little Sisters of the Weak Academy. Remember, the competition was pretty darn good with a Class 2A team that had made back-to-back trips to the Georgia Dome. That being said, Dalton didn’t look all that great either, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Murray County looked like, well, Murray County in its opener, killing itself with turnovers, penalties and mistakes. Neither team is as bad as it appeared, but both have to prove it to someone now. The Cats and Indians are 0-1, and while this game won’t affect playoff positioning within the sub-regions, victories are needed, and needed now.

The Cats extend their winning streak against the Indians, but it probably won’t be as lopsided as it was last year when Dalton cruised to a 48-0 victory.

Whit’s Pick: Dalton 35, Murray Co. 14

• Northwest Whitfield at Creekview: Lambert? Really? Talk about a letdown.

Know this Bruins, once you have let down the guru of gridiron guessing, he carries a grudge, and you got in his doghouse big time last week by getting shut out at home by a team playing its FIRST varsity football game. What’s next? Does Northwest start getting scheduled as everyone’s homecoming opponent?

C’mon, Bruins. It’s obvious that I love you, right? We have the same last name, and I never wear red. You gotta get my back on this one, but don’t think that Creekview will be any easier. I mean, after all, they have only been in existence for five years. I am hoping last week was a wakeup call, and a loud one. Have fun in Cherokee County and bring back a win.

Whit’s Pick: Northwest 21, Creekview 20

• North Murray at Rockmart: I’ll be honest with you, there isn’t a whole lot that I don’t like about North Murray. The school is right down the road from a good golf course. I think that coach Larry Cornelius is doing a lot of things the right way in building a second-year program, and there are some athletes who showed me something in the preseason scrimmage against Murray County.

That being said, the Mountaineers betrayed your humble picker with a loss in the first-ever game at their home stadium. I’m going to give North Murray the benefit of the doubt for a second week, but you know the old saying: fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice … and you can get in that doghouse with Northwest.

Whit’s Pick: North Murray 28, Rockmart 14

• Dominion Christian at Christian Heritage: I’ve spent some time with the Dominion Christian coaches in the past when I worked for the Cobb County newspaper, and I was especially impressed with the basketball program. Football? I don’t know so much. That makes picking this game kind of tough for me, but I’ll give the Lions the homefield edge.

Whit’s Pick: Christian Heritage 28, Dominion Christian 24

• Ridgeland at Allatoona: Ridgeland fans (well, at least a couple of fans who like to hide behind screen names on the internet) act like they have become a state powerhouse. While I will give the school tremendous respect for the strides the program has taken in the last few years, let’s not get ready for that coronation parade just yet.

That being said, I think the Panthers head down to Cobb County and take care of Allatoona. The Buccaneers got a little too excited about beating a Class 5A team that didn’t win a game last year. Ridgeland provides the trip back to reality.

Whit’s Pick: Ridgeland 35, Allatoona 17

• Trion at Lafayette: Why isn’t Lafayette pronounced like the French soldier who fought at the Battle of Savannah and helped the United States gain its independence? Instead of LAH-fay-yet, it is pronounced Luh-FAY-it. Then again, why is Whitfield County spelled the way it is if it is named in honor of Methodist preacher George Whitefield, who founded the Bethesda Home for Boys in the 1700s in Savannah? (Ahhhh, the benefits of a history education degree.)

Don’t even get me started on the Trion name. Take the French general.

Whit’s Pick: Lafayette 21, Trion 6

Chris Whitfield is a sports writer for The Daily Citizen, and he had plenty of 3-for-5 days in high school while batting .429 his senior season. You can write to him at chriswhitfield@daltoncitizen.com.

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