High school football season isn't letting up, and neither are the predictions

It's Week 2 of the high school football season, and Jim Paulsen and David La Vaque are back at trying to pick winners. After Week 1, Jim is 4-2, David 3-3. The Thursday schedule is small but mighty this week, so they considered a game from that day and two from Football Friday. Their picks and their analysis:

Forest Lake Rangers (0-1) at East Ridge Raptors (1-0), Thursday, 7 p.m.

Jim says: Forest Lake started the 2022 season 5-0. The Rangers could be better this year but are 0-1 after twice failing to score inside Prior Lake's 5-yard-line in a 7-6 opening loss and despite having two runners gain more than 100 yards. East Ridge moved the ball well in a 40-21 victory over Park of Cottage Grove. Raptors quarterback Tanner Zolnosky is the difference-maker. The pick: East Ridge 33, Forest Lake 21

David says: Forest Lake got the aforementioned push from its offensive line last week. Another ball-control performance would be the best way to ground the Raptors' air attack Thursday. Watch out for Rangers senior linebacker Colby Christenson, who made 15 tackles last week. The pick: Forest Lake 24, East Ridge 14

Blaine Bengals (1-0) at Centennial Cougars (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Jim says: I see an old-fashioned north metro slobberknocker here. Both teams run well, hit with meaning and throw only when necessary. Blaine had to withstand a second-half rally to beat St. Michael-Albertville last week. Centennial's defense came up big in Week 1, picking off four passes in a win over Coon Rapids. At home, the Cougars are mighty hard to beat. The pick: Centennial 24, Blaine 14

David says: Blaine senior running back Michael Douglas rushed 36 times for 176 yards last week against St. Michael-Albertville. Those yards will only come harder at Centennial. The Cougars are led defensively by stout senior linemen Blake Scheierl, Melvin Wallace and Marcus Whiting. Containing Douglas will be their mission. The pick: Centennial 21, Blaine 7

Lakeville North Panthers (1-0) at Rosemount Irish (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Jim says: Lakeville North in Week 1 showed off an offensive balance not seen since it won the Class 6A title in 2018. Quarterback Riley Grossman is a now a junior and played like one in a 35-14 victory over Stillwater. The Panthers will need all the veteran savvy they can get to make a dent in Rosemount's bulwark defense. The pick: Rosemount 20, Lakeville North 13

David says: Questions mounted among football observers about whether Rosemount could approach the otherworldly performance by its 2022 defense. The Irish responded with a 35-0 shutout last week. Enough said. Grossman and company (especially senior running back Sawyer Wilkie) will try to strike early and often. The pick: Lakeville North 17, Rosemount 14