Thanks for putting the pressure on Front Row Joe. Just because I have done a little analysis doesn't mean that I will be able to pick winners in such a tight grouping. Of course, that won't stop me from trying.
Zillah vs Connell -- What hasn't really be mentioned much about their first battle a few weeks ago is that despite the final score of 31-28, I believe there was a point in the 4th quarter when Connell had a 31-14 lead. What does that mean? I'm not sure. Both teams can put up a lot of points and score in quick bursts. In the end I think that Connell is less prone to turnovers and that they have a more well-rounded defense.
I'm picking Connell by more than the 3 points they won by last time.
Royal vs Colville -- I know it was back in week 1, but Colville was shut out 28-0 by a good Cheney squad. How did they do it? The Cheney passing game was inefficient, but they ran the ball effectively. Most of their successful runs were between the tackles, or at least started between the tackles and bounced outside after getting beyond the line of scrimmage. The Cheney o-line was big and created running lanes. The Cheney defense stacked the box with essentially 6 at the line of scrimmage except on likely passing downs. Royal doesn't have the same size upfront as Cheney, but can they get the same leverage? Colville doesn't appear to have a high level passing game, but they showed up with one last year against Royal in the playoffs. I think the key for Royal defensively will be keeping the linebackers clean and maintaining discipline. For Colville, how will they defend the Royal passing attack? No disrespect to Lakeside, but I don't think they have faced a passing game like Royal's this season. They can attack a cover-2 or cover-3 effectively, partly due to how good their running backs catch the ball out of the backfield. I believe Colville will have to limit Royal's running game and defend the seams to keep the Royal receivers in front of them.
I realize that was a lot of words to simply say, "Go Knights!!".
King's vs Hoquiam -- This game is the toughest to pick in my opinion. Both of them tend to have lower scoring games when they play tough opponents, which leads me to believe that their defenses may be better than their offenses. That being the case, I expect a lower scoring affair between them.
I could go either way with this one, but I will go with Hoquiam since they are playing closer to home.
Mt. Baker vs Montesano -- Montesano is the only team left with 2 losses, but you can ignore that completely. The question is whether they can stand up to the Mt. Baker running attack. I know it is easy to think that Monte used up all of their magic last week to beat CC, but they are a program that feeds off of that sort of good fortune. They are well coached with a long tradition of stepping up in big moments. Mt. Baker scored 47 points to win last week, but they also gave up 42. The had to come back from a 21-0 first quarter deficit against Kalama. If they get down early to Monte, it will be much tougher to come back than last week.
It is very hard to pick against Monte when they are starting to feel like a "team of destiny" again as they did a few years back and rode it all they way to a state title. I'm not picking against them. I say Montesano in a grinder.
By the way FRJ, I agree that this is the "most wonderful time of the year".
. In all seriousness, it is going to be cold and most likely raining or snowing so the conditions will be less than ideal regardless of where it's played in the Spokane area.