Prognosticators look to rebound after difficult first outing

Like proud parents putting their little tykes on the bus, we sent our precocious Pigskin prognosticators out into the real world last Friday.Let's just say their first week did not go so well.There's always a lot of inquiry, introspection and indecision when another football season rolls around.Now that the Week One results are in, you can add inaccuracy to that list.Fearless forecasters Zach Baker and Dave Hanneman disagreed on five of the 16 games on last week's schedule. Even by pass/fail standards, they barely got by.Hanneman, claiming he didn't have up-to-date info on Pine-Richland out of Pennsylvania, missed badly on the Findlay High game. He did, though, correctly predict wins by Ada, Ridgemont and Northmor and went 11-5 overall. His 3-2 edge over Baker (10-6) in games they disagreed on also gives him a one-game lead over his sports editor heading into Week Two.Most teams are still playing nonleague games, but they all count in the Pigskin Picks and our gridiron gurus have split on three matchups this week. Hanneman is going with Findlay, Liberty-Benton and Ottawa-Glandorf on Friday, while Baker favors Lima Senior and Columbus Grove on their home turf and Defiance on the road at O-G. Hanneman's PicksLast week: 11-5Findlay over LIMA SENIOR – Trojans 'D' will have to make some big plays against "Air Spartans" while the FHS offense settles in.Ada over WAYNESFIELD-GOSHEN – Considering their graduation losses, I thought the Bulldogs might be rebuilding a bit this season. Looks like they've just reloaded instead.LAKOTA over Arcadia – Both coming off impressive Week 1 wins. Going with a bigger, deeper program on its home turf.ARLINGTON over Riverdale – Despite league affiliation, this is not a BVC game. But it is the first of four straight home games for an Arlington team coming off an impressive opening night win.Huron over ELMWOOD – Huron took a pretty good Oak Harbor team to overtime before falling 52-46 in a high-scoring shootout.LEIPSIC over Van Buren – Last June, Marquise Williams and some of buddies (Diego Baldazo, Carter Benton, Trevor Stuber) competed in the 4-x-400-meter run at the Adidas Track and Field Nationals. With his two kickoff returns for scores and four other TD runs last Friday, it looked like Williams might have been in a track meet instead of a football game.Liberty-Benton over COLUMBUS GROVE – Everybody knew the Eagles had an awesome arsenal of weapons. It's their ability to dominate defensively – L-B held O-G to 0 points and 65 yards total offense – that is a difference maker.Pandora-Gilboa over BLUFFTON – Toss-up. Both teams are 1-0, but both had to overcome early deficits to earn hard-fought wins in their openers.McComb over TOLEDO CHRISTIAN – Toledo Christian is a two-time state champion in eight-man football, but gotta go with the 11-man Panthers in this Saturday night game at Toledo Bowsher. GALION over Carey – Galion beat a really good St. Marys Memorial team that likes to do the same thing Carey does – run the football.Upper Sandusky over MOUNT GILEAD – Rams have owned this series the past few years.Upper Scioto Valley over CORY-RAWSON – Tough home opener for the Hornets.Port Clinton over FOSTORIA — Gotta go with the 1-0 Redskins over the 0-1 Redmen.HARDIN NORTHERN over North Baltimore – Bears have had the edge in the NWCC matchup, and they're at home.OTTAWA-GLANDORF over Defiance – Toss-up. This Route 15 Rivalry was a Week 10 matchup last year; now it's the WBL opener for both teams.Crestline over VANLUE – Bulldogs went from 0-29 from 2021-2023 to 5-6 last year. A turn-around like that will get some juice flowing in the program. Baker's PicksLast week: 10-6LIMA SENIOR over Findlay – I really believe Findlay will be fine this season, but I also think they are going to peak in the final weeks. First few games could be tough.Ada over WAYNESFIELD-GOSHEN – The Bulldogs made a believer out of me with that performance against USV last week.LAKOTA over Arcadia – It was nice to see Derek Kidwell pick up his first win at Arcadia last week. But this week's opponent will be more formidable.ARLINGTON over Riverdale – Watch out. The Cavinee Express is coming through.Huron over ELMWOOD – Elmwood has good numbers and a new coaching staff. But it still has a long way to go.LEIPSIC over Van Buren – For those, like myself, who can never keep this stuff straight, this is a non-conference game. You have to wonder what the Vikings' Marquise Williams will do for an encore.COLUMBUS GROVE over Liberty-Benton – Just have a hard time seeing Grove starting 0-2.Pandora-Gilboa over BLUFFTON – This is a top-of-the-line non-conference matchup, and a very important one for Bluffton. But you have to think P-G is in the beginning of a memorable season after beating the Bulldogs.McComb over TOLEDO CHRISTIAN – Panthers find a way to even their record on the road.Galion over Carey – Each team had a rough opener; it's not uncommon for the Blue Devils to struggle early and then then go roaring through the back half of their schedule.Upper Sandusky over MOUNT GILEAD – Rams should have enough to get to 1-1.Upper Scioto Valley over CORY-RAWSON – The Rams were one of the best teams in the NWCC last year; hard to imagine they have fallen that far.Port Clinton over FOSTORIA —Port Clinton builds on big Week 1 win over St. Paul.HARDIN NORTHERN over North Baltimore – Giving the Polar Bears a homefield edge here.Defiance over OTTAWA-GLANDORF – This will probably be a close one; thinking Defiance does just enough to pick up the W.Crestline over VANLUE – Vanlue will probably struggle against a solid Crestline squad.Home team in caps.