Wars will be won, feelings will be hurt

Published 8:30 pm Thursday, October 20, 2016

Picking winners and losers is not always a fun job, especially when you are talking about people who aren’t getting paid and don’t ask for the spotlight of winning and losing each week, such as in the case of high school athletes.

But at the same time, Friday night is special in the South. Don’t tell anyone in this area that it is just a game or it doesn’t mean anything. Ask the North Murray community how much a loss hurts after falling to Ringgold last week. Ask Southeast Whitfield how satisfying it was to get back in the win column headed into an off week. How much better do these two weeks feel, Raiders, with a win rather than a loss?

So see, it matters.

But we never try to shine the spotlight too brightly on the bad things. I usually make a point in my game coverage to give credit to a person who makes a play rather than shine the spotlight on the individual who made a mistake.

But here in this column, where I pick winners, this isn’t rec ball and not everyone gets a trophy.

Your Guru of Gridiron Guessing is coming off another stellar week of picking with a 5-1 record last week. On the year it’s 37-7 and that is at least a trip to the second round.

• Game of the Week — Harrison at Dalton: When the season started, most Dalton fans thought the matchup with reigning Class 5A state champion Allatoona would be the marquee spot on the schedule with both schools moving into Class 6A. And while some of the shine might have come off of that 10th-game meeting between the schools since Allatoona looks vulnerable at 4-3, Harrison has stepped to the forefront as Dalton’s biggest obstacle to another region title.

This is perhaps the biggest regular-season matchup (Dalton-Northwest Whitfield three years ago gives it a run for the money) that I have covered in my time here in northwest Georgia. Both teams are undefeated. Both teams are ranked in the top 5 of the Georgia Sports Writers Association Poll, and both have marquee players on both sides of the field.

It is the first meeting between the schools, and Harrison is rediscovering its football tradition. The Hoyas are 7-0 and already have the most wins in a season since 2008. When the program was first established, Bruce Cobleigh built a winner in the west Cobb school, playing for the state title in 2000 and becoming a mainstay in the playoffs at the state’s highest classification.

They have found again that swagger and will be bringing it to Harmon Field.

Dalton is coming off of a hard-hitting victory over Sequoyah. Hopefully for the Cat faithful, there will not be a letdown. This will definitely be Dalton’s biggest test, but the defense has continually risen to the challenge this season, and the offense has found ways to make big plays. Computers say Dalton is an 11-point underdog, but I’ll take the home field straight up. Dalton will have a few bloody noses, but that doesn’t mean you lost the fight.

Whit’s Pick: Dalton 34, Harrison 28

• Gilmer at Northwest: I know the Northwest players can’t get caught looking past this game to next week’s showdown with Southeast, but I don’t wear a uniform so I can focus on it. Southeast is already caught up in the fever of next week’s rivalry game, taking to social media to harass their cross-county cousins. Be careful, Raiders. Ask Sequoyah how that worked out for them against Dalton last week.

But we will get to that.

For this week, the Bruins better be worried about Gilmer. The Bobcats are winless and seemingly a program in disarray after losing their head coach earlier this season. Which is exactly why they shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Whit’s Pick: Northwest 42, Gilmer 8

• Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe at Murray County: The Indians keep their roll going with an easy win at home over the Warriors and then get a week off to get ready for the all-important crossover region games to end the regular season with playoff spots on the line. How much longer can Sports Editor Tony Maluso keep riding Tucker Gregg’s fantasy points?

Whit’s Pick: Murray County 47, LFO 14

• Coahulla Creek at North Murray: Those wacky kids from North Murray are at it again with their media department and those geniuses in the audio/video production class are using the occasion of taking on Coahulla Creek to debut their latest parody of ESPN’s “College Gameday” broadcast. Be sure to check out Mountaineer TV on YouTube this morning for more shenanigans from the craziest student body in the area. (That’s right to all you other fan bases, I said it.)

Whit’s Pick: North Murray 45, Coahulla Creek 14

• Christian Heritage at Darlington: This has been a pretty good rivalry in Christian Heritage’s short tenure in the Georgia High School Association with some great, competitive games between the two. However, Christian Heritage hasn’t been able to beat Darlington in three tries. Make it four.

Whit’s Pick: Darlington 38, Christian Heritage 17

Chris Whitfield is a general assignment reporter and sports columnist for The Daily Citizen. He still has a chip on his shoulder about a column written in the Savannah Morning News in 1987. Contact him at chriswhitfield@daltoncitizen.com and follow him at Twitter.com/cwhitfi7.