Brian's football picks - Week 0

Why they call this Week "zero", I don't know, but that's what it is on the SDHSAA website. At any rate, I figure, why not show everyone how much (or how little) I know about high school football around these parts. Each week, I'll try to post my picks, and maybe some comments, on games of interest in Central South Dakota, as well as games that look like barnburners, at least on paper. So, with less than 3 hours to kickoff, here we go (my picks in ALL CAPS):

For starters, I will abstain from picking Stanley County games, since I will be broadcasting them, lest I either get somebody hot under the collar, or give someone else any bulletin board material.

Faulkton at HITCHCOCK-TULARE - last year's 9B runner-up hosting a Trojan team that made big strides last year, but I assume Patriots are still very good.
KIMBALL at Lower Brule
HERREID/SELBY AREA at Strasburg, ND - Shue is high on H/SA, so the rest of us should be, too
SULLY BUTTES at McLaughlin
MOBRIDGE-POLLOCK at Linton, ND - I know Linton is usually pretty good, but I'll pick the Tigers cuz Morrison said so.
PLATTE-G/DC at McCook Central - Black Panthers probably lost a lot, but they probably still have a lot.
CHEYENNE-EAGLE BUTTE at St. Francis
Sunshine Bible at SANBORN CENTRAL
Newell at WALL
Mt. Vernon at WESSINGTON SPGS./WOONSOCKET
Hot Springs at WINNER - Winner is now 11B, I still can't get used to that (both of these schools drop to Class B in wrestling this year, for what it's worth)

Two big games in the East, right off the bat:
MARION/HURLEY at Hanson - last year's 9AA champion runs past last year's 9B champion
West Central at HARRISBURG - I'm as bored as anyone with West Central's constant success (no disrespect intended)....Go Tigers!!

11AA Games:
Pierre at SF LINCOLN - tough way to start for the Govs, at defending champs, but they'll play hard, that's for sure
BROOKINGS at RC Stevens
SF O'GORMAN at Aberdeen Central
SF ROOSEVELT at Mitchell
SF WASHINGTON at Huron -- still gonna be hard to pick against Sioux Falls when playing non-SF teams
WATERTOWN at Spearfish
RC Central at YANKTON
Sturgis at BRANDON VALLEY -- still gonna be hard to pick the West River teams over most of the eastern teams
Also, Douglas hosts ST. THOMAS MORE - I'll pick the Cavs, but maybe they start to decline now

22 picks made here out of 46 games this weekend, mostly on hunches and assumptions, and not because I've studied up on what to expect this year, at least for this first week. I will be picking all games privately and reporting my honest winning (losing) percentages each week, and then we'll see how we all stack up at season's end. Let's have some fun, and good luck to all teams!!
- Radiooo