High School Football Week Two Picks

            

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High school football’s week one saw Minnechaug take down Longmeadow for the first time in 16 years, Taconic defeat Easthampton 74-0 (ouch) and Belchertown come on strong and defeat Ware 29-0. In week two, we have several good matchups in Central taking on St. John’s, West Springfield taking on Longmeadow and more, so let’s get to the picks.

            Last week’s record: 11-8 (Have to step this up)

            Overall record: 11-8

Minnechaug 36, Chicopee Comp. 27

Minnechaug might end up as the best team in western Mass. this season. That makes it hard to pick against Minnechaug in week two.

Lee 24, Franklin Tech 22

Franklin Tech, to me, is an underrated team. So, I expect them to give Lee some fits in this matchup. But Lee should still take down Franklin Tech.

Amherst 24, Belchertown 20

Belchertown shut out Ware in week one, but I’m still not convinced in this team that won only three games in 2017. Amherst has the better quarterback in this matchup as well, so the edge goes to Amherst.

Agawam 20, Putnam 16

Agawam played a tough Wahconah team in week one and lost 46-20. Agawam is better than their week one performance though and they should have enough to win in week two.

Easthampton 35, Mahar 6

Mahar struggled in week one, failing to score a point. Easthampton defeated Mahar 52-0 in this matchup last season.

Chicopee 16, Holyoke 12

I’m not sure what to think about this matchup. Holyoke stunk in week one albeit a late drive that secured their win. Abington, a northern Mass. opponent, blew out Chicopee. So I think Chicopee is a little better than their week one loss and I think they will use that to win this week.

Monument Mountain 18, Ludlow 12

Westfield shut out Ludlow in week one while Monument Mountain scored 39 points against Pathfinder. While Monument Mountain let up 26 points against a below average Pathfinder team, which doesn’t look good against Ludlow, but I think Monument Mountain finds a way to win this game.

Greenfield 28, Frontier 26

A great matchup, but I’m a big fan of RJ Byrd and I will continue to ride the Byrd-train in this matchup. Expect a good game but expect Byrd to win this one for Greenfield.

Saint John’s 32, Central 28

I love me some Saint John’s football. Call me biased, but I think central Mass. football reigns over western Mass. So I’m taking Saint John’s to take this matchup.

Mount Greylock 35, Drury 30

Michael Wellspeak will lead Mount Greylock over Drury in this one. Wellspeak is probably the best athlete on the field come Friday night when the two teams face off.

East Longmeadow 30, Pittsfield 12

East Longmeadow started off slow but still shutout South Hadley. I think East Longmeadow is the better team in this matchup as well.

Longmeadow 31, West Springfield 28

I fully expect this game to come down to the final drive and I think Longmeadow finds a way to win, whether they score a touchdown, safety or defensive stop, I think Longmeadow wins this matchup.

Mashpee 34, South Hadley 18

Mashpee won the division VII super bowl last year. They should continue their dominance and win this game.

Turners Falls 26, Athol 20

Turners Falls has a good quarterback with good game sense and a good throwing arm. Athol has a freshman at the helm, so I’ll take the experience and skill in this one.

Northampton 42, Smith Voc. 10

Northampton’s Braeden Turdyn ran for 135 yards in week one. He should run for even more against this Smith Voc. team.

Westfield 26, Leominster 20

Normally, I’ll take any team outside of western Mass. over a western Mass. team. Even though Leominster has had some very good teams in the past, I think Westfield has what it takes to win this game.

Pathfinder 16, Mohawk 14

Both teams struggled on the defensive side of the ball in week one. Offensively, even though both teams scored points, didn’t look much better. I’m going with Pathfinder because they scored the more points in week one.

Public Safety Academy 26, Commerce 16

Public Safety Academy shut out Commerce the last time the two schools faced off. I don’t think Public Safety Academy will shut out Commerce this time, but I think they get the win.

Wahconah 36, Taconic 28

Wahconah might have the best offense in western Mass. If not, then probably the second best. I’ll take their offense this week.

South Hadley Community School 20, Ware 16

I over estimated Ware in week one. I won’t make the same mistake in week two.

Palmer 21, McCann Tech 14

Both teams had a less than stellar week one. Although Tech schools seem rather strong this season, I don’t think McCann Tech has what it takes to take down Palmer.

Bonus Pick: Wachusett 28, Tantasqua 21. Shout out to Michael Daly on this pick.