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John Millea picks this week's football winners
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DiggBy John Millea
Maybe I’m fooling myself (no, it would not be the first time), but I might be getting the hang of this prediction business. Last week’s record was 18-2, setting a new season high for the prep picker.
But of course this is not always a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately kind of business, so let’s look ahead to the section championship games that will be played Friday and Saturday around the state. Forty-eight games, after which 48 teams will advance to the state playoffs and 48 others will hang up the pads until the 2010 season.
Here’s the formula for this round of predictions: I’m making picks on all the Class 5A and 4A games and choosing one key game from each of the other four classes. The end result meets the standard of 20 predictions, and this way the picks get spread around.
Thanks to everybody who has been tossing ideas for games onto the Preps Insider pile. I have taken your suggestions under advisement, studied the 3A, 2A, 1A and Nine-Man games and settled on a strategy. The games in those classes on this list are all rematches of regular-season contests. Those games seem to get the fans riled up to some extent, and that’s a pretty good reason why they are part of this week’s picks.
And now, a few scattered thoughts on this week’s games …
It’s tempting to take Minnetonka to knock off Eden Prairie in what should be a real slugfest, but Eden Prairie is at the top of the heap for a reason. I’ve had the Eagles at the No. 1 spot in the Metro Top Ten since the preseason and I expect to see them in the Metrodome. … Cretin-Derham Hall was a bit shaky in a one-point win over Eagan last week, and Henry Sibley is no pushover. … The Blaine-Centennial game is as good as it gets, and I’m taking the home team. … Hutchinson is another tempting team, but Mankato West should be the best team Hutch has seen since losing to Glencoe-Silver Lake in Week 1. … Rogers vs. St. Michael-Albertville is another near toss-up.
As for the games in the four smaller classes, I’m hanging my hat on New London-Spicer, Jackson County Central, New Ulm Cathedral and Kittson County Central.
To the other teams, all I can say is: Prove me wrong.
Believe me, you won’t be the first.
John Millea is on Twitter at twitter.com/stribjohn
Section semifinals record: 18-2
Season record: 140-50
Class 5A
Lakeville North 24, Owatonna 21
Stillwater 21, Mounds View 17
Eastview 17, Rosemount 14
Cretin-Derham Hall 28, Henry Sibley 21
Wayzata 28, Champlin Park 14
Eden Prairie 17, Minnetonka 14
Blaine 27, Centennial 24
Buffalo 21, Brainerd 20
Class 4A
Northfield 24, New Prague 21
Mankato West 27, Hutchinson 24
St. Thomas Academy 30, South St. Paul 17
Mahtomedi 28, Hill-Murray 14
Rogers 24, St. Michael-Albertville 23
Totino-Grace 32, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 21
Duluth Denfeld 24, Bemidji 14
Sartell 28, Alexandria 17
Class 3A
New London-Spicer 24, Albany 21
Class 2A
Jackson County Central 21, Luverne 14
Class 1A
New Ulm Cathedral 28, Springfield 20
Nine-Man
Kittson County Central 32, Stephen-Argyle 24
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