BUCYRUS — High school football is back in north central Ohio and it’s time for the second edition of the Friday Night Fanatics.
Do the fans know more than the expert Fanatics? It’s time to find out.
There were some loners in the picks this week, as the Fanatics seemed to agree on most of the games.
The most divisive game is in Upper Sandusky this week, as the fans were needed to break the Fanatics’ tie. Unlike last year, news director James Massara and WBCO play-by-play analyst Jared Moore decided to pick their alma maters as the Rams look to defeat River Valley for the second straight year.
There were not many rivals amongst the Fanatics when it came to the sixth-oldest high school football rivalry in Ohio in The Battle of Route 19. Seven of the eight Fanatics, along with the fans, all pick Galion to hold on to the Seccaium Park Trophy, something the Tigers have done for a decade. Sports director Dan Messerschmidt was the lone pick for the Redmen as Bucyrus tries to get the tenure of new head coach Matt Makeever off on the right foot. The game may be heard on Q92.7 WQEL.
The WBCO game of the week picks were a bit more one-sided than some may think as the majority picked Buckeye Central to get its first victory since week nine in 2016. Friday Night Phoneboard host Davey Jones and WQEL morning host Will Beard both picked Crestline to move the Bulldogs’ win streak against the Bucks to three. The game may be heard on 1540AM/107.5FM WBCO.
In the unofficial Battle of the Ridge, Ridgedale is the picked favorite by most of the Fanatics in what has been a fairly competitive matchup as of late, but the fans along with WQEL play-by-play analyst Josh Stallings, Moore and Jones all think Ridgemont will claim victory for the second year in a row.
Despite some injury concerns, Northmor remained the favorite in the Golden Knights’ opener against Elgin. The Comets were selected by Messerschmidt and Beard to start the season 1-0.
A few lone wolves appeared in week one’s selections, along with Messerschmidt’s Bucyrus pick.
Stallings was the only Fanatic to pick Mohawk’s regular season win streak to not enter 2019 after a 10-0 regular season in 2018. Moore was the only selection for Wynford to get the season started on a positive note after the Royals missed the playoffs in 2018. Beard is only pick for Madison to bounce back from a 1-9 by getting things underway against a Shelby team coming off a 5-5 season.
The two unanimous selections were Colonel Crawford being victorious against Mount Gilead after a strong showing against the Indians last season, and Seneca East claiming a win against Margaretta after the Tigers made a run to the state semi-finals in 2018 and are the media pick to win the Northern 10 Athletic Conference in 2019.
Make sure to make your voice heard as part of the fan vote by voting during the week.
The fan pick is made by the results of the majority of the voting.
FAN PICKS:
Galion – 76%
Buckeye Central – 75%
Colonel Crawford – 83%
Mohawk – 81%
Ridgemont – 65%
Seneca East – 88%
River Valley – 69%
Liberty-Benton – 59%
Northmor – 71%
Shelby – 80%