Last week, if you had “Carolina” in your team’s name, you lost, ouch and then some. North Carolina State’s football team dropped to number 25 in the national high school football standings. Now to the good stuff!

• Fayette County (1-1) @ Whitewater (1-1)
Whitewater learned last week that the big region boys hit back. Sandy Creek was a good wake-up call for Whitewater. Hopefully, the loss to Sandy Creek will not knock Whitewater off track emotionally after the long winning streak. It’s WHITEWATER!

• Landmark (2-0) vs. Pacelli (0-2)
Landmark will turn Pacelli into jelly. LANDMARK’S great start will just keep going.

• McIntosh (0-2) vs. Westlake (0-2)
Two teams off to a bad start meet in the hopes of turning their seasons around. In 2005, Westlake was touted as having more players, six, in the NFL than any other high school in the country. Westlake star and current ARIZONA CARDINAL Tian Allen remembers his high school playing days: “The first job of our coach [Dallas Allen] was to make us men, to help us grow as people. We were all pretty talented and had athletic ability, so what he tried to focus on was our character. For our first couple of years we had three-a-days in training camp. Looking back on that, it was tough but it helped build character. I didn’t grow up with a lot of money and neither did a lot of guys who played on our team, so Coach Allen would come to our homes and pick us up and take us to school or take us to practice.” I will give the nod to WESTLAKE because of their pull yourself up by your own boot straps mentality.

• OLM (0-1) @ Athens Christian (0-2)
Again, we have two teams off to a bad start. OUR LADY OF MERCY had a week off and that will give them the edge over Athens Christian.

• SC (2-0) @ Franklin County (0-2)
The old steam roller just keeps on roll’n. It’s SANDY CREEEEEEEEK!

• Starr's Mill (2-0) vs. Creekside (2-0)
Tough pick of the week right here! Two good teams and it is going to come down to who has more grit and determination. Three things to watch: 1. Starr’s Mill must contain Creekside QB/DB Eric Berry, one of the nation's most talented football players. 2. The Starr’s Mill defense has to prevent big plays by the Creekside offense. 3. The Starr’s Mill offense has to hold on to the ball and limit Creekside's possessions. I love Starr’s Mill but my head and the statistics say go with CREEKSIDE.

• UGA (2-0) vs. UAB (1-1)
Be careful with UAB (think Tennessee vs. Air Force). I got my wish from last week: Stafford at QB. Stafford had some crisp passes but he also had three interceptions; you can’t do that and survive against the big SEC boys. Tereshinski is out for the long haul (four to six weeks). Look for the Dawg defense to dominate the game. Everyone who has seen the young Texan Stafford says he is a take charge guy. We know he has the arm. Let’s see how big UGA wins!

• Tech (1-1) vs. Troy (1-1)
The Troy Trojans just about knocked-off Florida State! Although Florida State looked as though they left their offense in the locker room, Troy did manage to get some points on the board against the Florida State defense. Be careful TECH JACKETS and put another one in the “w” column.

• Falcons (1-0) vs. Bucs (0-1)
Last week the Falcons surprised everyone, and so did the Bucs, only in the worst way. The Bucs had the number one defense last year, but they fell apart last week to the retooled Ravens. The Falcon defense looked ferocious last week holding the Panthers to 60 rushing yards. The sacks, hard hits, great secondary play, and balanced offense: People were adjusting their televisions. “Honey, it’s on the wrong channel, this team is dominating, maybe the Falcons are on NBC.” The Bucs are having problems in quarterback spot as Chris Simms was benched in the fourth quarter. The rookie Gradkowski did not do much better. The FALCONS could not have picked a better time to play the “Bucs in Flux” and I am praying the Falcon’s Abraham is back to 100 percent after suffering a groin injury against the Panthers.

Staff member picks -
Mike B. (12-4)
Fayette County
Landmark
Westlake
Athens Christian
Sandy Creek
Creekside
UGA
Georgia Tech
Falcons