By Dannie Oliveaux and John Leggett | The Courier-Herald
After a 6-1 record last week, JL moved ahead of DO. JL was on target with Stanford’s win over UW. Once again, the ‘Dogs let DO down. The big game on the prep scene this week is White River at Bonney Lake Friday. Both teams have lost to Lakes. It’s the Panthers’ spread offense against the Hornets ground attack. We added the Packers-Vikings game for our seventh game. Here is the update: JL improved to 19-8 overall and DO dropped to 18-9.
Here are this week’s picks:
White River at Bonney Lake
DO: The Panthers rolled up 54 points last week, thanks to three TDs by the defense. Look for QB Cole Schuler to have a good game against the Hornet secondary and for the BL defense, to stop Blake Tidwell for the win. BONNEY LAKE
JL: To the casual SPSL 3A grid iron observer this contest may take on the appearance of just another evening of Plateau football. For my money though, this tilt is going be a fun one for the fans to watch as there will be offensive fireworks galore. If I didn’t have to go over to Tacoma and watch Enumclaw further belittle the woeful and winless Clover Park crew, I would surely be heading down Eli Hill to take this one in. If a surprisingly adept BLHS defense can thwart the White River rushing attack, the Panthers have a real good chance of emerging victorious. If not who knows? Since this potentially wild affair unfolds in front a crazed Sunset Chev Stadium (BLHS) crowd though, I am of the opinion that BLHS has the slight edge here. BONNEY LAKE
Sumner at Lakes
DO: Not much to say. LAKES
JL: Sumner owes Enumclaw a big debt a gratitude for exposing a tough Lakes squad’s weaknesses last Friday at Harry Lang Stadium. Enumclaw let the whole wide world know that Lakes players do indeed bleed red, just like the rest of us human and they really aren’t androids, who bleed hydraulic fluid instead. The last thing Sumner needed was for Enumclaw to give Lakes a wake-up call for crying out loud, especially after Lakes already annihilated Sumner during the 2008 campaign in a steady downpour of good old NW rain.
Don’t be deceived though.Winless Sumner has a pretty darn good little program and while I don’t expect they’ll get much revenge on Lakes from last year’s butt-whipping, I do expect my Sparts to go down with both guns blazing. That’s just the way Keith Ross-coached teams roll. LAKES
Enumclaw at Clover Park
DO: The Hornets return to Lakewood, site of their first loss this season. But the Warriors aren’t Lakes. Look for the Maroon and Gold to strike early and often. ENUMCLAW
JL: Enumclaw, has to put the Lakes setback behind them and quickly get back on the winning track. The Hornets will repeatedly sting and eventually destroy CP’s Warriors in front of their loyal rooters in Harry Lang Stadium – end of story. This one will be a laugher unless the wet night becomes the great equalizer. ENUMCLAW
Washington at Notre Dame
DO: Well the Huskies go against one of the most storied college football team of all-time – The Fighting Irish. Sure, ND may not be in the Top 25, but they are a good team with great tradition. Was UW’s upset win over USC a fluke? Time will tell. Touchdown Jesus graces this game of the Irish. NOTRE DAME
JL: Well, for one thing I am a good reformed Catholic boy and for another, being a Wazzu grad, I was schooled to cheer for two teams, 1.) The Cougars and 2.) Anybody playing the stinking Huskies. Padres, Spirtose, Santose. NOTRE DAME
Washington State at Oregon
DO: Even if the Ducks have the ugliest uniforms in college football, they are still a great team. Forget the lime green and neon yellow, they are looking for a Pac-10 title. Long trip from Eugene for the Cougs. OREGON
JL: Well, at least the Cougar players who were recruited from places like Iowa, Nebraska or Kansas will be able to take in some of the luscious green scenic beauty of the Great Northwest on the way down to Eugene, and if it isn’t pouring down rain, on the way back to Pullman. I am not going to screw up my average by living in a dream world. OREGON
Seattle at Indianapolis
DO: Hopefully the Seachickens will pack away those horrible-looking green jerseys or donate them to the Goodwill. Peyton Manning is one of the best pro QB’s out there today. He will have a great game picking apart the Seattle secondary. INDIANAPOLIS
JL: Bad news for Seattle. Not only does Indy have its passing and running games clicking on all cylinders, they also played some pretty respectable defense against a normally formidable Arizona offense last Sunday night on NBC. The Colts should trample Seattle, even though I heard that Indy’s great defensive end Dwight Freeney (Orangeman pride baby!) is out for the next couple of weeks with some sort of leg injury. INDIANAPOLIS
Green Bay at Minnesota
DO: QB Aaron Rogers and the Pack invade the MetroDome to face former Green Bay star QB Brett Favre, who refuses to retire. No doubt, the Vikings have a team that could contend for a NFC championship, but I think the Packers may have a say about that. I’ve always cheered for Favre and the Packer. So I’ll say on the bandwagon as Rogers pulls one out against his former mentor. Hey Brett, throw the ball to the guys wearing green. GREEN BAY
JL: My otherwise sound of mind French friend, Mr. Oliveaux must have eaten a plate full of hallucinogenic escargot or something. Did he forget that St. Louis now officially has one of the most pathetic teams in the NFL. I feel sorry for OSU Beaver grad Steven Jackson, because anything ground he gains is from his own sweat and toil and I noticed he put a c-note against the feeble Packer defense. THE WILLIAMS WALL (Pat and Kevin) and the other Purple People Eater run stuffers, will shut down the Packers already dubious running game completely. So, if Green Bay expects to escape the Met with even the narrowest of victories, it best be doing one heck of a lot of passing. I can see Mr. Rodgers’ incentive to upstage Favre though. The Land of 1,000 Fjords – oh, I mean lakes, will prevail in this one, I boldly prognosticate. MINNESOTA.
