Faceoff

H.S. Football Picks: Playoffs, Round 2

FELDY: The good news, Phersy: We both went 5-2 in our picks of Tuesday's games. The sobering news: That leaves me just three games over .500 at 33-30, while you're just a game over .500 at 32-31. Here's a big shock: The 9-man games did me in on Tuesday; those were the only two I got wrong. You chose my "do the opposite" approach when it came to 9-man, and that saved your bacon, though you got both of the Section 1AA games wrong.

Here's what's on tap for section semifinal Saturday picks:

SECTION 1AAAAA
• No. 4 Owatonna at No. 1 Rochester Century

SECTION 1AAAA
• No. 5 Austin at No. 1 Northfield

SECTION 1AAA
• No. 3 P-E-M at No. 2 La Crescent

SECTION 2AA
• No. 4 Triton at No. 1 United South Central
• No. 3 Southland at No. 2 Waterville-Elysian-Morristown

SECTION 1A
• No. 3 Rushford-Peterson at No. 2 Goodhue

NINE-MAN
• No. 6 Spring Grove at No. 2 Houston

******

PHERSY: I'm back on track Feldy. You better watch out this week ... or just copy my picks. I'm going to take the lead back after this week, unless you chicken out.

1AAAAA

Owatonna 28, Century 20: Owatonna is playing well right now, and the Huskies had a lead on Century the last time they played. This time, Owatonna holds on to that lead and moves on to the section final against a directional Lakeville school.

1AAAA

Northfield 31, Austin 21: Feldy is trying to take advantage of me here, knowing I'm a Big Red Machine fan. But Northfield's offense is too balanced; the Raiders will run multiple offenses against the Packers, lining up in the spread for a possession, then switching to the wishbone, the wing-T ... and they run every one of those offensive sets well. Austin is riding high, but Northfield is too good. Now we'll see if Feldy has the guts to pick Big Red in the upset.

1AAA

PEM 26, La Crescent 25: This should be a great game. PEM is playing well, and La Crescent struggled last week against Stewartville. I like the Bulldogs and Blaine Miller to bully their way past La Crescent. What's up with Feldy not putting Lourdes vs. K-M on here?

2AA

USC 20, Triton 14: It's a down year for the Cobras, though I still hate to pick against a great coach like Don Henderson. I also don't like to pick in favor of one of my old South Central Conference rivals. ... But I'll go with the Rebels in a close one.

Southland 41, WEM 21: I think the Rebels prove week after week that they're the real deal. Their offense is very good, and I think their defense will do enough to upset the Bucs.

1A

Goodhue 27, R-P 15: This is another matchup of a really hot team in Goodhue and a team that's struggling a bit (though still winning games) in R-P. I like Logan Brand a lot, and he's a horse to bring down. But coach Clair Austin will have the Wildcats defense playing well. It's back to the G-Force era!

Nine-man

Houston 35, Spring Grove 22: Houston burned me last time, but I don't see it stopping before the section title game. Though Houston lost a lot from last year, there's enough returning experience to carry them in this one.

• • •

FELDY: Short on time, keeping this succint.

SECTION 1AAAAA
Century 22, Owatonna 21: Too many people seem to be forgetting that Century is the No. 1 seed and did beat Owatonna in the regular season, regardless of how it happened. I'm not saying Owatonna can't win, but too many people I talk to are counting Century out.

SECTION 1AAAA
Northfield 33, Austin 16: Northfield's offense is too much for teams in this section to take.

SECTION 1AAA
La Crescent 28, PEM 24: There's a reason La Crescent was seeded No. 2 in this section. This just in: The Lancers are good.

SECTION 2AA
USC 16, Triton 13: What Phersy said.
WEM 26, Southland 21: Nice run for the Rebels comes to a close.

SECTION 1A
Goodhue 31, R-P 18: Wildcats are much better than I thought at the beginning of the season.

NINE-MAN
Houston 38, Spring Grove 21: Hurricanes are tough to beat at playoff time.

ICE HAWKS: A quick Thursday update

PHERSY: Here's a little roster move and injury update for you Hawks fans ...

The Ice Hawks completed a trade today, sending defenseman Grant Ehlert to the Hudson Crusaders for  
forward Justin Banaszak.

Fatis said Ehlert asked for a trade because he wasn't getting enough ice time. Banaszak hasn't been in Hudson long; he was traded there from the Bay State Breakers of the EJHL. He's a 5-foot-10, 175-pound forward ... and today is his birthday (19). Nice little birthday present for him.

Banaszak is scheduled to arrive in Rochester today, and it sounds like he'll meet up with a few teammates and have a skate-around.

"Justin's a good-sized forward, and it sounds like he's a decent skill guy," Fatis said. "He'll help add a little offense to the lineup. I have to say, Hudson was fantastic in this trade. We were very pleased to be getting Hudson, and this comes at a great time for us as we've been hit by a new rash of injuries."

Injuries indeed ... the Ice Hawks, before the trade, did not have enough healthy guys for Saturday's game against the Wildcats!

Chad Mundy was injured today; he suffered a cut just above his skate that required six stitches. It was a clean cut, so that's good news. But Fatis said he's questionable for the weekend.

Morgan Sanchez took a slap shot to the foot last weekend, and he hasn't skated this week. It's doubtful he will be available.

Alex Campbell and Zack King are sick, and they haven't been practicing. Fatis said they're out for Saturday.

Also injured it George Jackson. His ankle is doing fine, but now he has a shoulder injury. He will have an MRI on the shoulder, and he will not be available Saturday. Fatis isn't sure if Jackson will be back next weekend against Granite City.

Justin Phelps, Andrew Fairbanks, Matt Rucinski, Myles Flott and Andrew Bromberg are all still out. Flott went to St. Louis regarding his groin surgery, and the doctor there couldn't do it, so now he's headed to Philadelphia for surgery. Fatis said he doesn't have all the details at this point.

Sam Hingtgen likely will get the start in net Saturday. Fatis said he's about 90 percent on that one.

Also returning to the lineup will be Zach Diltz, and coach said he's considering moving Mike Lezotte up to forward for this weekend. Nik Tamanko will be back in action, too, and Fatis will throw the new kid (Banaszek) into the lineup right away to see what he can do.

One note about the Wildcats: They now have goalie Trey Flesch in their lineup. Flesch was in camp with the Ice Hawks, but just missed out on the final goalie spot. He's looked great so far for the Wildcats.

That's all for now.

Ice Hawks: Phelps out six weeks with broken hand

PHERSY: Man, I received a text last night that I certainly didn't want. Coach Nick Fatis let me know that Ice Hawks captain Justin Phelps has a broken hand and will be out six weeks. Phelps is scheduled to have surgery today.

What a tough break for that kid. After the shoulder injury, he was back and looking great. But when you play all-out like Phelps does, I guess injury will always be the risk. Even in his very first game back on Friday night, you could see the difference Phelps makes ... he's out there flying around, knocking people down, doing the dirty work in the corners, coaching teammates on the PK ... he's a natural leader.

"It's absolutely devastating," Fatis said last night. "I really don't even know what to say. I'm pretty shaken up. He's the best kid in the world."

Phelps injured the hand Friday when he blocked a shot. He went to the bench holding his hand, but he continued to play through the pain. He also played through the pain in Sunday's win against the Edina Lakers. But a trip to the doctor on Monday revealed the injury.

Phelps was at practice today, and Fatis said he's still going to stay very involved with the team.

"He'll have the surgery today, and he'll have no mobility for a week," Fatis said. "But after that, he'll be able to skate again. He won't be able to hold a stick for about five weeks, but he should be close to full strength at the end of the six weeks."

I guess the good news is that Phelps should be able to return just before Christmas. The bad news is the team desperately needs someone to step up and fill that role.

"It's unfortunate we only got one week of our captain," Fatis said. "But he's taking it pretty well. He's been through this before; this is his second surgery in a couple of months. Today he was in here and he was very vocal. We had player meetings, and he was involved in those. I guess it's unfortunate, but it's not the end of the world. I'm just glad that we will be able to get him back, because even having him out there for one weekend made a difference. I feel like the team has a whole different attitude after playing along side him for one weekend."

Fatis said the team is taking the news well. A few guys heard about the injury yesterday and the rest were informed today.

"It was big news, but most of the guys were worried about Justin and how he would react," Fatis said. "That's good. It means the guys are starting to think like a family. They weren't worried about what this meant to the team, they were just worried about Justin. But Justin is doing fine. He's still going to be the leader of the team."

That said, the team is going to need someone to step up over the next six weeks and fill Phelps' shoes. While nobody can completely replace Phelps, Fatis thinks it will have to be a combination of guys who take on that leadership role.

"I don't think it can be just one guy," Fatis said. "We'll see how it plays out. But I think a kid like Cory volk, with his re-inspired play, can make a difference. He's a kid who needs to lead by example, though. HE needs to get out there, pound it into the ice and let the guys see what it takes. He can be similar to Phelps in that way. Maybe a kid like Alex Campbell can be that guy. He's having a great year, and he's earned the respect of a lot of his teammates. Even new guys like Erik Ordahl and Tyler Roberg are young guys who have already gained the respect of their teammates. I've talked to Ordahl about taking on more of a leadership role, and I think he's up to it. And we've seen what a guy like Tyler Groth is capable of when he's on. I mean, I really just don't think it's going to be one guy. We're going to need everyone to step up."

So that's all I've got for now. It's bad news, but I'm glad that we'll see Phelps again before the end of 2009. It will be rough while he's out, but the kid's a warrior and he'll be back on the ice before we know it.

Fatis said he's still looking at a few possible trades, and those could be coming in the next few weeks. I'll get it on the blog as soon as something happens.

HS Football Picks: Playoffs, Week 1

PHERSY: Well Feldy, I think we sealed our fate last week ... the high school football picks need to be discontinued for next season. I can't take it any more. I can't even "do the opposite" right. Anyway, only a few more weeks and we can put out of our misery. Last week was brutal ... and now I know I'm doomed when I start losing to Feldy. So, yeah, I went 2-5 and dropped below .500 for the first time in my career at 27-29. Feldy was impressive, going completely opposite and rattling off a 5-2 record, to bump his season mark to 28-28. Let's get playoff Week 1 out of the way  (I'm tempted to do all of the 1 vs. 8 games, just so we get some right) ...

1AAAAA

No. 5 Mayo (5-3)  at No. 4 Owatonna (5-3)

1AAA

No. 5 Rochester Lourdes (5-3) at No. 4 Byron (6-2)

1AA

No. 5 Pine Island (3-5) at No. 4 Lewiston-Altura (4-4)

No. 6 Dover-Eyota (3-5)  at No. 3 Kingsland (4-4)

1A

No. 5 Medford (4-4) at No. 4 Fillmore Central (3-5)

1 Nine-Man

No. 6 Spring Grove (4-4) at No. 3 Lanesboro (5-3)

No. 5 Alden-Conger (4-4) at No. 4 Mabel-Canton (5-3)

* * *

FELDY: I'm tempted to let you go first this week, Phersy, so I can just go opposite of you this week! Well, maybe you can flip my strategy on me. Either way, as Glen Mason would say, we're both "BRUTAL! B-R-U-T-A-L!" Let's make these picks and keep the fingers crossed:

1AAAAA
Owatonna 25, Mayo 18: Mayo is playing much better than the first time these teams met, but it's hard to pick against the Huskies on their home field, and considering they won 33-6 when these teams met three weeks ago. And, under coach Jeff Williams, Owatonna has never lost a playoff game to a team it defeated during the regular season (6-for-6).

1AAA
Lourdes 16, Byron 14: Yes, the Bears won this matchup in the regular season, but Lourdes has settled in to a groove after recovering from losing RB Nic Jensen.

1AA
Lewiston-Altura 21, Pine Island 18: The Cardinals played a really tough schedule in the Three Rivers, suffering losses to Southland, P-E-M and Rushford-Peterson. That experience and the home-field advantage goes in L-A's favor.
Dover-Eyota 21, Kingsland 15: Kingsland won a close game between these teams early in the season. D-E flips the outcome this time.

1A
Fillmore Central 30, Medford 18: Fillmore played a tougher regular-season schedule and is at home for this one.

1 Nine-Man
Lanesboro 38, Spring Grove 35: These teams split two regular season games. Lanesboro won by 17 last week; they'll repeat the feat, but it'll be a nail-biter.
Mabel-Canton 48, Alden-Conger 38: M-C's offense is too tough on its home field.

*************

PHERSY: Not much to say Feldy ...

1AAAAA

Owatonna 35, Mayo 21: The Spartans are improved and they surprised many with their 5-3 season, but the Huskies are great when they don't turn the ball over. That Owatonna ground game won't be stopped at home.

1AAA

Lourdes 28, Byron 27: I'm with you on this one Feldy. The Eagles are getting healthy, and they're on a roll. Not that Byron isn't on a roll. The Bears were throwing the ball all over the field last week, but I think the Eagles are getting hot at the right time.

1AA

Pine Island 30, Lewiston-Altura 29: L-A seems to only play close games. And here's the kicker ... L-A alternated wins and losses all season, and it won its final regular-season game against W-K.

Kingsland 18, Dover-Eyota 13: These two teams are very even. Kingsland's four losses are to Caledonia, R-P, P-E-M and Southland. Not a bad resume.

1A

Fillmore Central 30, Medford 10: I'm with Feldy here, too ... have to take the home team. Don't know much about Medford. They've had some great teams over the years, but just judging by their scores, this one is FC's to win.

1 Nine-man

Spring Grove 30, Lanesboro 25: Feldy, I think you have this backwards ... I think Spring Grove won by 17 last week. Of course, that said, you'll probably end up getting it right, even though you don't know what you're talking about. But I like Joe Morken to rush for a few scores and lead SG to a win.

Alden-Conger 21, Mabel-Canton 13: Upset alert. A-C has a great defense. Three of its four wins came by way of shutout, and it lost to some very good teams. Plus, I can't figure out M-C. It beat Houston twice, but lost to Glenville-Emmons. Should be a good game either way.

ICE HAWKS: Game night

PHERSY: It's snowing outside, so that must mean the Ice Hawks are playing tonight. Head over to the Rec Center to warm up!

The puck drops at 7:05 p.m., and PA announcer Jeff Boehmer will be howling a little before that.

Anyway, coach had a few injury updates for me, so I thought I'd pass those along.

First off, the good news ... Justin Phelps will see his first action of the season tonight. I guess that means Jason Feldman will be canceling any plans he had tonight to head over to the Rec Center to watch his man-crush crush the Hudson Crusaders. Phelps has been skating full-speed in practice, and now he's ready for some live-game action.

"Justin is a kid who has lived and died with this program, and I'm happy he's getting another chance," Fatis said.

Now the bad news ... the Ice Hawks injury report continues to look longer than the 9/11 commission's final report.

Who's out: Andrew Bromberg (back, still not practicing), Nik Tamanko (shoulder, at least a week away), Myle Flott (groin, out indefinitely, likely will have surgery next week), Andrew Fairbanks (knee, about a month away), Zach Diltz (concussion, cleared to skate, but will not play tonight), Matt Rucinski (deep thigh bruise, maybe next weekend), Sam Hingtgen (myriad injuries, though he's getting better) and Ryan Hurd (sick, skated Thursday).

So, the new additions to the injury report at Rucinski and Hurd. Rucinski took that shot to the thigh against the Northern Lights last weekend. It's pretty bad, I guess, and Fatis said he's lucky that it wasn't worse. But Rucinski is up walking around, and Fatis is hoping he'll return to skating very soon.

Hurd was sick all week, but he did skate yesterday. He was in the gym, trying to get his wind back today. Hurd won't play tonight, but it's possible he'll be ready for Sunday's game at the Lakers.

"With the injuries, that still leaves us with 23 guys available for tonight," Fatis said. "And honesly, I'm looking at my sheet right now, and I don't have anyone crossed off yet. I have no idea who's not going to play. We need to put three guys in the stands, but I don't know who they'll be yet."

Fatis has decided on a staring goalie for tonight against Hudson: Jordan Yaggy. "Yaggy looked good against them last weekend, and he's looked good in practice."

Fatis said it's doubtful Yaggy would play Sunday, too, which mean Simon Eriksson would get the call against the Lakers. Of course, Fatis would commit to anything. "There's a few rules of thought there; the Lakers have already beaten Simon, even though he looked good against them. And we haven't ruled Sammy out of that game yet either. So who knows. Maybe I'll change my mind by Sunday," Fatis said.

Fatis also is doing some serious line juggling, mainly because the team will be without Rucinski, who had been skating on the top line with Joe Velasquez and Tyler Groth.

Now that George Jackson has returned, he'd like to put that Jackson-Morgan Sanchez-Shaun Walters line back together. He also wants to put the Phelps-Velasquez-Cory Volk line back together because that line was outstanding during preseason camps, and now with Phelps and Volk healthy, Fatis wants to see what they can do.

Fatis said that means Alex Campbell and Groth likely will skate together, but he hasn't decided who will be on that line with them.

Defensively, Fatis said he's still trying to decide what to do. Two of his defensemen need to sit, and there isn't a clear choice for either spot.

Anyway, so that's all I have for now. It's a big weekend for the Hawks. They have to get through tonight so they can focus on the Lakers. A win over the Lakers, I think, would go a long way for this team's confidence. Having Phelps on the ice for that game will be huge!

Go Hawks!

Gophers goalie rotation to continue, and a look around the WCHA

FELDY: If I'm reading between the lines correctly, Rochester Century grad Alex Kangas is none-too-pleased that he'll likely only be starting one game per weekend in goal for the Gophers for the foreseeable future. According to a story in today's Star Tribune, Kangas and sophomore Kent Patterson will likely split time again this weekend and for the next few series, in an effort to not overwork Kangas.

The move to start Patterson in last Saturday's game at North Dakota looked to me initially like a desperation move by Gophers coach Don Lucia. His team got thumped on the scoreboard and beaten up on the ice in a 4-0 loss last Friday. Kangas was the only bright spot for Minnesota in that game with 39 saves and he deserved to start on Saturday. Instead, Lucia went with Pattterson and the sophomore played well in a 3-3 tie in a hostile environment.

Lucia's decisions to start Patterson, move Jordan Schroeder and Jay Barriball to the third line, and shuffle his other lines, looked like an act of desperation, but in the end, the moves worked and the Gophers gave a much better effort on Saturday.

They're going to need an even better effort this weekend against Denver, which will bring more talent and more experience than North Dakota. DU, the preseason favorite to win the WCHA, visits Mariucci tonight and tomorrow.

Both of those previous links are courtesy of the Star Tribune and Roman Augustoviz, who does a nice job of covering Gophers hockey. ... I'm not sure if the sports editors at the St. Paul Pioneer Press even realize the Gophers have a hockey team. There is not even a preview of a big early-season series posted on their Web site. ... But off my short soapbox and onto other college hockey news that you can kill some time with during your work day:

* DU comes to Minneapolis this weekend likely without big, bruising forward Joe Colborne, who fractured his left index finger. (Update: Colborne didn't make the trip.)

* Shane Frederick of the Mankato Free Press notes MSU, Mankato freshman Kevin Murdock will start in goal tonight. That should make Phersy happy. Frederick also writes about senior wing Kael Mouillierat, who has quietly become one of the better goal scorers in the WCHA.

* No player on the Wisconsin roster has won a game at MSU, Mankato, where the Badgers play a series this weekend.

* One line has accounted for all but one of Minnesota-Duluth's goals this season.

* A reliable, veteran defenseman may begin to see regular ice time for St. Cloud State.

* Former Shattuck-St. Mary's defenseman Ben Blood is making a big impact at North Dakota early in his sophomore season. The Sioux's physical play will likely be matched by a big Alaska-Anchorage team this weekend.

* This piece from the Anchorage Daily News reminds us that some athletes still value their education. A tip of the hat to UAA senior Josh Lunden, who not only leads the team in goals, but will graduate in the spring with two degrees.

* A smaller-sized Colorado College team faces a tough test with Michigan Tech and its physical style of play this weekend. CC will play without two of its top players, too.

Another stupid criminal

FELDY: No, this has nothing to do with Jeff Reed or the idiot Gophers hockey fan who was a lot tougher off the ice than his team was on it.

We haven't had a stupid criminal story on here for a while, though. This one is actually more humorous than stupid, but we don't have a "humorous criminals" category on our blog.

This story pretty much speaks for itself, and if this guy would be willing to modify my La-Z-Boy, I'd probably take it for a spin around the block.

Now that I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised if this guy turns out to be a Sconnie.

Mark Stuart off to a good start

FELDY: While the Boston Bruins haven't started nearly as well as they finished the regular season a year ago, Rochester native Mark Stuart is off to a good start in Beantown this season. It's his third full season in the NHL and Stuart has already accumulated four points in seven games.

The 2003 first round draft pick (No. 21 overall) has a goal and three assists this season. He scored his first goal of the year in the Bruins' most recent game, a 4-1 loss at Phoenix on Saturday. The loss dropped Boston to 3-4-0; the Bruins are back in action tonight against Nashville. (And a reminder, if you want to see Mark Stuart play in person, the Bruins face the Wild at the Xcel Center on Wed., Nov. 25 at 7 p.m.).

Here is a link to the video highlight package from that game. Stuart's goal is about 2:40 into the video; his goal came in a 4-on-4 situation, just seconds after teammate Marco Sturm was hacked at on a breakaway. Stuart scored on a one-timer from just inside the blue line.

Another impressive stat for Stuart: For the season he is has a plus-6 plus/minus rating. That has always been a strength of his, though. As a defenseman, Stuart has excelled at keeping other teams off the scoreboard while he's on the ice. In 203 NHL games, he is plus-34. In fact, the only time in his pro career that he has finished a season with a negative rating came in 2005-06, when he played just 17 NHL games and finished minus-1 in those games.

Ice Hawks release Mike Becker

PHERSY: I received a text from coach Nick Fatis this morning letting me know that the Ice Hawks have released goalie Mike Becker.

Becker had a 2-0 record for the Ice Hawks, and both of those wins were shutouts ... of course, they both
came against the Minnesota Wildcats in a 16-0 win and a 15-0 win.

Despite the two shutouts, Becker had a 2.25 goals-against average and a .889 saves percentage.

Any time you have to part ways with a player, it's tough. I know coach Fatis had a hard time making this decision. But with so many goalies on the roster, it came down to playing time.

"Mike came in and had a rough start, but then he locked it down and was playing much better," Fatis said. "But with the addition of Jordan Yaggy and with Simon (Eriksson) playing as well as he is, I just didn't see Mike being a runaway No. 1 for us. He's right in that mix, but as a last-year kid, he needed to be a standout No. 1. He's a kid who has to impress colleges right now. We just didn't see that opportunity for ice time being there with us, so we felt he'd be better off in a different situation. Mike's a fantastic kid, one of the nicest guys you'll run into. He's very friendly, and he's neat to hang out with. He's everything you want in an Ice Hawks player."

Fatis said it's unclear whether Becker will join another junior hockey team, but he's willing to put in a good word for him if he does decide to play elsewhere. "I've given Mike the option, and I'm willing to make phone calls for him. We talked to his family a bit, and he has a decision to make. We weren't looking to trade him, but I can definitely make some calls and find him a place to play if that's what he wants," Fatis said.

In other news ...

Fatis was extremely disappointed with his team after Sunday's loss to the Twin Cities Northern Lights. He felt the Ice Hawks took a big step forward Friday and an even bigger step back Sunday. Practice was rough to start the week, but he said they were better today.

Fatis was considering making some other roster moves, but he said nothing is a done deal right now. "I've been making some calls, considering some other trades," Fatis said. "But we feel like we have the team here we can win with. So we know we don't have to do anything. But we're looking at our options."

Some good news ... Justin Phelps is 100 percent on track to play Friday night at home against the Hudson Crusaders. That should be a huge emotional boost for a team that needs it badly, especially after Sunday's performance. Phelps has been flying around in practice, and Fatis can't wait to see him in a game situation. "Phelps is exactly what we need," Fatis said. "He's in practice, yelling at people, calling them out when they need to be called out. You can't help but play hard when you've got Justin Phelps around."

Fatis said he's also seen great improvement from players like Alex Campbell and Tyler Groth. It's not matter of skill, though, it's in their effort. "Campbell sat out that first game, and since then, he's been a different player. He's looked great; I love what I'm seeing from him. He's giving the type of effort we love to see," Fatis said. "And Groth is a kid who's skating hard every shift and in every practice. If he can give that type of effort every time, he's definitely a top line player for us. And I told him he's looking more and more like (Ryan Goodmanson) each day, and that's a big compliment."

That's it for now. If there are any other roster moves, I'll check back in.

Don't forget ... Friday at home against the Crusaders! Also, I know the Hawks Nest is organizing a fan bus up to Maple Grove for Halloween night ... check the Ice Hawks Web site for more details ... and maybe Nesty can post some more info on here.

H.S. Football Picks: Week 8

FELDY: Well, the only good thing to come out of last week's picks is that I know now I'm not dumber than a coin. I might be as dumb as one, but not dumber. Another 2-5 week puts me at 23-26, while Phersy's 2-5 mark leaves him at 25-24.

Since the final week of the regular season actually starts Tuesday night, here are the games we'll pick this week. And I've put the coin away. If I'm gonna be terrible, I might as well do it on my own.

BIG NINE
* Mayo at Faribault
* Albert Lea at Austin

HVL
* La Crescent at Kasson-Mantorville
* Byron at Cannon Falls

THREE RIVERS
* Dover-Eyota at St. Charles
* Chatfield at Fillmore Central

SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE
* Houston at Mabel-Canton

••••••••

PHERSY: Hey Feldy, it's hard to be this bad ... I need to start adopting the George Costanza theory when it comes to picking HS football games. Because if every instinct I have is wrong, then the opposite would be right. Lord help us ... I'm not going to give any kind of breakdown this week, because clearly I don't know what I'm talking about. Scores and picks, that's all ...

BIG NINE

Faribault 20, Mayo 13

Austin 27, Albert Lea 26

HVL

Kasson-Mantorville 33, La Crescent 28

Byron 21, Cannon Falls 12

TRC

St. Charles 11, Dover-Eyota 8

Chatfield 20, Fillmore Central 7

NINE-MAN

Houston 60, Mabel-Canton 30

* * *

FELDY: If any of you listen to the Saturday morning fantasy football show on The FAN, you've probably heard of the fantasy draft strategy "do the opposite." It's just what it sounds like; go the direction that everyone else is not. Since my fantasy team is 5-1, I'll try the opposite thing here this week and go against Phersy:

BIG NINE
• Mayo 23, Faribault 22: This will be a tough test for the Spartans, going on the road against a team that took it to Owatonna last week. Judging by the scores of some of Faribault's games, the Falcons could go deep in the Section 1, Class AAAA playoffs.
• Albert Lea 18, Austin 16: Albert Lea beat Century, gave Mankato West a good push and outplayed Mayo for much of last week's game before falling.

HVL
• La Crescent 31, Kasson-Mantorville 29: I was going to give K-M the home-field advantage, but since the game got moved to Rochester Regional Sports Stadium (and since I'm picking the opposite of Phersy), I'll go with the Lancers.
• Cannon Falls 25, Byron 19: The Bombers sneak by with a late touchdown.

THREE RIVERS
• Dover-Eyota 21, St. Charles 18: The Eagles pull this one out, and, therefore, they are allowed to keep Dover-Eyota listed first in the sports in which they co-op with St. Charles.
• Fillmore Central 29, Chatfield 26: Seems like every time I've picked Chatfield to win this year, they haven't. So maybe Gophers fans should be happy I'm going against them.

SEC
• Mabel-Canton 52, Houston 46, OT: The Cougars win one of those games that make those of us in the sports dept. thankful that we don't have to type in every scoring play in the game.