I was far from perfect with my predictions last week in the 9-man division.Northstar and Surrey picked up big wins that I did not predict would happen, although in some of these games anything can happen and that's why they are played! Let's see if I can get closer this week to knowing what I am talking about!
Region 1-
Wyndmere/Lidgerwood (3-0) vs. Hankinson (2-1)
I stand by what I said last week, I think there are three good teams in this region and then a big drop off. Wyndmere is one of those three teams in my eyes. Hankinson is a team on the bubble. After losing a week 1 matchup against North Border they have rattled off a pair of Region 1 wins. This is a rivalry game for both schools and they tend to play each other close, even when it maybe shouldn't be, because that's what rivalries are all about. That said, I think Wyndmere/Lidgerwood goes into a hostile environment on the road and gets a win by 20+ points.
Region 2-
New Rockford/Sheyenne/Maddock (3-0) vs. North Prairie (3-0)
To me, this is the region championship. These are two teams that I have been high on for a while. I knew NP was going to be a title contender after their semi-final run last year and seeing what they bring back. NR/S/ with the addition of the Maddock kids has a huge team with a lot of depth and good athletes. As solid as NR/S/M is, I am not sure if they can match up with NP in the trenches and stop the Cougars. I predict NP wins 42-28.
Also keep an eye on the Four-Winds @ Nelson County game in this region. With North Star knocking off Nelson County last week, this 4W vs. NC game has a lot of importance, especially to Nelson County who cannot afford another loss in the region. I'll take Nelson County at home in a shootout- 52-46.
Region 3-
Westhope/Newburg/Glenburn (3-0) @ Surrey (3-0)
I doubted Surrey last week and they made me look foolish, but I have my doubts again with them going up against a really explosive WNG team with one of the top athletes commanding their high powered offense. I don't see anyone knocking off WNG in this region during the regular season. WNG wins 56-32.
Region 4-
Linton HMBSZ (3-0) @ Grant County/Flasher (2-1)
Last week I had these two teams ranked 8 & 9 in my top-10. I did have GC/F one spot ahead of Linton and GC/F is at home. That said, the Storm is coming off a tough game in which they were defeated by South Border while Linton is flying high, clicking on all cylinders with a 3-0 start to the season. I'm going to ride that momentum to pick Linton HMB to win this match-up on the road, Linton wins 36-26.
My Week #4 Top 10:
1- North Prairie
2- Sargent County
3- New Salem/Almont
4- WNG
5- South Border
6- New Rockford/Sheyenne/Maddock
7- LaMoure LM
8- Linton HMBSZ
9- Grant County/Flasher
10- Surrey