Here is our first installment of the New England big game predictions. I give you my picks for the biggest football games in New England this weekend.
Here we gooooo…..
High School
Thornton Academy at Bedford: The Bulldogs have ruled this series so far and I expect that trend to continue tonight. I think this year’s match up is tighter but the Dawgs preview. Final score: Bedford 21, Thornton 14
Central Catholic at St. John’s Prep: The Red Raiders are for real but I am not sure they quite ready to knock iff the Prep. This game will be closer than people think but I think that the Eagles will pull away in the fourth quarter and take care of business. Final score: St. John’s 28 Central Catholic 17
Springfield Central at Mansfield: The Golden Eagles are coming off a bye while the Hornets are coming off of an impressive 35-14 win over Bedford, Michigan. I think this game will come down to the trenches. Whichever team plays well upfront, will win. Give me Central in what could be a high scoring affair. Final score: Springfield Central 35, Mansfield 28
LaSalle Academy at North Kingstown: The Rams are 2-0 and coming off a bye. North Kingstown is coming off a solid 21-7 win over Cranston West. The Rams have had two weeks to prepare for this game but it could come down to the quarterbacks and I think the Skippers have the edge with Jack Diano. Give me North Kingstown: Final Score: NK 21, LaSalle 20
Bunnell at Masuk: Both teams opened the season with wins. Bunnell goes Masuk this week, New Canaan next week. That’s a tough stretch. Panthers Quarterback Aaron Champagne is one of the top signal callers in the state of Connecticut and I think he has a big game in what could be a shootout. Give me Masuk. Final score: Masuk 35 Bunnell 21
Rutland at Middlebury: Both teams are undefeated but Rutland has the more explosive offense. The Raiders look like the class of Vermont. Give me Rutland in what should be a high scoring game. Final score; Rutland 35 Middlebury 28
College
New Hampshire at Dartmouth: The Wildcats and Big Green renew one of the best rivalries in New England college football. It should be a good one. The game will come down to the quarterbacks and how they play. Give me Grayson Saulnier and the Big Green in a close game. Owen Zalc wins it with a late field goal. Final score: Dartmouth 24, New Hampshire 21
Holy Cross at Yale: Holy Cross could very easily be 3-0 but instead, they are 0-3. It doesn’t get any easier this week and they take on Yale in their season opener. Bulldogs are among the favorites in the Ivy League and they should be good once again. New quarterback Dante Reno makes the Bulldogs offense potent. I think this game will be tight. Give me the Bulldogs by 3. Final score: Yale 20 Holy Cross 17
Ball State at UConn : Huskies need a win after dropping the last two on the road. The defense needs to play much better than they have. I think they will and in the process, the Huskies pick up win number two on the season. Final score: UConn 38 Ball State 17
Patriots
Steelers at Patriots: The Steelers defense has been awfully generous this season and they come to Foxboro at the right time. Sure, stopping Aaron Rodgers is no day at the beach but the Patriots should be able to score at least 28 in this one. As long as the defense does enough, especially in the second half, the Patriots should win this week. Final score: Patriots 28 Steelers 24